ATTACKED IN A TUNNEL.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9421, 17 April 1909, Page 6

ATTACKED IN A TUNNEL.

Just after a passenger train had emerged from a long tnnnel on th» Midland railway, between Grlndleford and Totley, near Sheffield, a signalman noticed that one of the carriage doors was open and swinging to and fro. He telephoned to Totley station, and there the train was pulled up and the carriage with the open door was entered. On the floor of the compartment lay a man unconscious. He was badly bruised about the head and arms, and in his clenched hand was a portion of his watohgnard. A watch was on the floor of the oar, riage. There was every indication that the compartment had been the scene of a fierce struggle. The communication cord had been pulled down. From papers in his possession, the injured man was discovered to be Mr Ben Blackwell, clerk to a firm of'Sheffield timber merchants. He was taken home, and some time later he recovered consciousness sufficiently to give an account of what happened. His story is a startling one. He entered ah empty lavatory compartment at Grind leford, he said, and began to read u a newspaper. As soon as the train had entered the tunnel, which is a very long one, two men emerged from the lavatory. One of them said they were oat of work, and had tramped from Liverpool. He asked for some money for a night’s lodging. Mr Blackwell banded them sixpence in coppers. Then, he says, he casually took out his watob to answer a question about the time. The spokesman ex claimed :“ A fine thing 1 Him with gold watch, and giving ns a tanner.” To this Mr Blackwell retorted that they might be thankful they bad got that. The nest remark was: ‘‘We have killed finer men than you.” Beginning to be somewhat afraid of the menacing attitude of his companions, Mr Blackwell reached for the communication cord. They sprang upon him as he seized thft cord and dragged it down. Then followed a straggle. Mr Blaokwell was thumped and bumped about the carriage, his clothing being torn and his collar and tie wrenched away. He shouted and screamed for help, but the roar of the train in the tunnel was sufficient to drown his cries, and, although he had pulled the oommnuioation cord as far as he could, the train did hot stop. His watoh, he says, was the first thing taken, but, seeing the monogram on it, his assailants threw it down again and got to his hip pocket finding his parse, and taking from it several pounds. Just as the train emerged from the tunnel the meat made their escape by one of tha doors. The police have not yet discovered a clue.