The Sydney Morning Herald, Monday 11 October 1915 p10 Article

TRAIN-WRECKING.

FISHPLATE ON THE RAILS.

THREE YEARS IMPRISON MENT.

WAGGA WAGGA, Sunday.

The alleged attempted train-wrecking by Germans at Marrar In August was Investigated by the Wagga Circuit Court before Mr. Justice Pring and a Jury. Thomas Daniel Weir and Francls Edward Stahlhut pleaded not guilty to a charge of placing a piece of Iron on the railway line near Marrar

Anthony Winter , railway ganger, gave evi- dence that he made an Inspection of the rail- way line for a distance of six miles, from Marrar towards Coolamon, betweeon 7 30 and 9 45 o'clock on the morning of August 20. When returning to Marrar witness saw Weir and Stahllut walking along the road close to the railway line in tho direction of Coolamon. Half a mile from Marrar station witness found a fishplate lying lengthways on one of the rails He thought it likely that an engine racing on to It would have been thrown off the line.

No train passed over the line between the time witness left Marrar and the time he returned there, but had the mail train been running to time It would have reached Marrar about 9.27. The train ran into Marrar station about an hour behind schedule time. Witness found the fishplate shortly before 10 o'clock.

Other evidence was given as to accused being seen in the vicinity under suspicious circumstances.

Constable Rose stated that he had taken the men to where they admitted crossing the line. He took the right boot of each, and found that It fitted Into the impression of the footprints where the obstacle was found on the line.

Weir, who described himself as a farmer re- siding on the Clarence River, and Stahlhut, who said he was a baker residing at Armidale, both stoutly denied that thry had put the fishplate on the rails.

The Jury returned a verdict of guilty, and accused were sentenced to three years' Im- prisonment with hard labour.