The New York Times/1916/11/22/Train Terrorized by an Armed Negro
TRAIN TERRORIZED BY AN ARMED NEGRO
Wielding a Knife, He Enters Pullman Car, Then Stabs a Strikebreaker.
STARTED OVER A DICE GAME
Row Spreads to Car Ahead on New Haven Express—Passengers Complain.
Armed with a long jackknife a squat, muscular negro, who was known to other strikebreakers on the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Company’s piers at Fox Point, near Providence, R. I., only as “Black Bill,” made himself the virtual master last night of the fast New Haven express which reached the Grand Central Terminal at 8:40 o’clock. According to stories told by passengers, “Black Bill” stabbed one man, robbed another of $25, and for a time threatened to “cut up” the terrified passengers in one of the cars in the solid Pullman train if money he said he had stolen from him was not returned.
The express left Boston at 3 o’clock yesterday afternoon, and when Providence was reached a day coach containing twenty-five discharged strikebreakers was added to the train. For some time the men in the day coach contented themselves with singing and shouting from the windows at each stop. Occasionally when the songs became particularly boisterous snatches of them penetrated into the well-filled Pullman ahead of the day coach. Of the thirty passengers in the Pullman ten were women, and though they afterward admitted they had been uneasy, no effort was made to quiet the men.
Finally the disturbances stopped and a dice game was begun. The game ended with “Black Bill” a big winner. Shortly afterward the negro fell asleep and when he awoke he discovered that $24 of his winnings was gone.
Infuriated, the negro demanded to know who took the money. Shouts of denial went up all along the car, but “Black Bill” drew his knife and announced that he was going to kill some one. Some of the men ducked beneath seats, others ran to the further end of the day coach, but no one offered to close with the negro.
The negro hesitated a moment, and, as he rushed toward the frightened laborers a man shouted: “The man who took your money came from that car,” indicating the Pullman ahead. “Black Bill” turned, flung open the door of the day coach, and tried to enter the Pullman, but was unable to do so because the door had been locked.
Hammering and kicking upon the door, the negro was finally admitted by Conductor Charles Lockwood, who demanded to know what he wanted. Pushing the conductor aside, “Black Bill,” his knife in his hand, demanded to have the “thief” pointed out.
The sudden entrance of the man frightened the passengers. Seated near the door was Mrs. M. Bossel of 1,146 Fiftieth Street, Brooklyn, and her daughter, Miss Lena Bossel. Mrs. Bossel pleaded with the negro not to harm anyone, until her daughter became hysterical from fright.
At this juncture “Black Bill” moved forward a step or two, but before he could go further Conductor Lockwood had pushed him back through the door and into the day coach.
Here the negro made for an Italian laborer, and before the man could elude him he was stabbed in the hand. The Italian ran back to the group still huddled about the further end of the coach. In a seat was Oscar Steglitz, 28 years old, formerly of Paterson, N. J., and when the negro saw Steglitz he accused him of being the thief. The negro then forced Steglitz to hand over the money he had.
By this time the train was well into this city, and though New Haven officials said last night the negro had eluded arrest by dropping off the train at the 138th Street Station, passengers, among them C. J. Wunder, a traveling salesman of Philadelphia, and W. J. Dana of Taunton, Mass., together with Mrs. Bossel and her daughter, were certain that he had walked out with the other passengers into the Grand Central Terminal.
When the train arrived about twenty passengers, headed by Mr. Wunder, went to the Station Master’s office and complained. Employes in the Station Master’s office refused to comment upon the affair.