RAILWAY PORTER’S VIVID IMAGINATION

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6901, 6 May 1929, Page 6

RAILWAY PORTER’S VIVID IMAGINATION

The Longburn Incident

CONFESSES THAT STORY OF ASSAULT IS UNTRUE

BUT ADHERES TO TALE OF ATTEMPTED TRAIN WRECK.

The township of Longburn and railway circles between Palmerston North and Wellington, were mildly excited last Wednesday night when the news of an attempt to derail a train was passed from mouth to mouth and flashed over the wires between here and tho capital city. This was followed by gonuine amazement on Thursday night when a porter on duty at Longburn station reported that ho had been attacked by two men as he entered the signal box in the darkness. The “Times” gave publicity to the first incident, but refrained from printing an account of the Thursday night all ail', because of certain information gathered the same night, which threw doubt upon the genuineness of the incident, as reported. That this action was justified has since been proved by events.

It should be explained that the porter who alleged the assault, is also the officer who, on the previous evening when in tho signal box, said he saw two men standing on the track as Field’s express was approaching Longburn station. He quitted tho signal box hurriedly, he said, to warn them of their danger and on their decamping at his approach, he perceived a sleeper and fish plates across the rails. He then stopped tho on-eoming train with his hand lamp, but not in time to prevent the slowing-up express from striking the obstruction.

His story of tho next evening’s adventure was briefly as follows: As he entered the same signal box in the darkness to lower tho signals set against an approaching train, ho was struck on the head. Tho hand lamp ho was carrying was kicked from his hand, glass panes in the box broken, and when he came to again, ho found himself lying on the floor of the signal .box. Ho was scarcely able to reach the signal box phono and communicate with the stationmaster who. on hurrying to the scene, found him in a distressed condition and bleeding from the nose. Further investigations revealed the broken hand lamp and panes of glass, and also the fact that one or two dummy signal levers had been half pulled off. That briefly was the story told by tho porter and adhered to until about 10 o’clock next morning, when more maturo thought convinced him that probably lie had only fainted and that the incident of tho previous night had preyed upon his mind. The porter has given tho officials inquiring into tho circumstances of the affair a written statement to this effect and denying that ho was assaulted.

As regards the incident of the sleeper and fisli plates, ho still adheres to his story, although the department officers aro inclined to doubt it.

The engine driver of “Fields” saw the porter approaching but saw nothing of the two men who were supposed to have passed over the cattle-stops in front of him. and Longburn residents who happened to be near the scene of the incident at the time saw nothing untoward. It is further alleged by tho department that tho porter would have had time to remove the sleeper from the line, and that it would bo practically impossible to see persons standing where lie was alleged to have seen them.