Show I i The Rio Disaster k i I f MILWAUKEE October 3OC HWelts freight braKeman charged with being responsible for the terrible railway accident r i L ac-cident at Rio on Wednesday night i oame to the city yesterday and visited the general offices of the St Paul Railway 1 Rail-way Company He drew his salary late I y t j yesterday afternoon Wells is 24 years of age and unmarried He declares I r I y that Hankey the freight conductor is 1 t wholly responsible for the accident j f Following is the substance of his tory Our train arrived at East Rio siding 1 1 t t t several minutes before the limited put 1 I 1 in an appearance The freight train was too long tor one side track so we J cut it in two switching one part J onto a side tract and then detaching I the engine switching the rest into the I other side track It was not my duty to close the switch I had never closed it I fl 1 before The conductor had always t done that On the night of the accident I after we had reached the siding and 1 r sidetracked our train I had to remain N < i on top of one of the cars Conductor Hankey went to the switch and shortly I i afterward passed the car on which I I 1 i r was standing He told me that everything f every-thing was all right and that he was i t going to the head of the train I looked i 1 at my wat jh aDd discoTered or thought I t 1 I did that the limited train was I 1 1 1 i late Just then the limited hove in sight 4 t I I was horrified to see it run off the I t k I track shortly after it passed my t i car In a moment the train was inflames 1 J I t t in-flames I was badly frightened and J I thinking the freight train hands would J be lynched fled I realize that I made i a mistake in running away but it was i Y i very natural under the circumstances J t Wells says he is ready to give himself 4 t up whenever he is wanted He hast has-t F If i engaged counsel in Milwaukee The identity of the three men bound j I r9 for the woods burned to death in tbe I t wreck will probably never be known l t1 and they at least of all the victims will t i lw be an addition to the throng ot missing mis-sing persons 4 If all the missing people so far reported u 1 re-ported as having been on the train are i h not heard from the list of victims will i I t be swc led to twentytwo The laws of I I i Wisconsin fix the liability of railroads i Jor deaths oaused by negligence at not L t rtt exceeding f 8000 |