Michigan Central Arms Its Men

The Michigan Central Railroad Company has equipped all its expresa trains throughout with "riot guns" for the reception of train robbers. Every employé has one of the guns on the trains. They will shoot seventy-two buckshot in three seconds and tear an eight-inch hole through anything. On Spnt. 12 the riav af ter the train robbery ia Indiana, President Ledyard of the Michigan Central system called íames R. Dutton, the purchasing agent of the road, into his private office and nstructed him to buy enough Winchester shotguns to arm all the express trains of the system. Mr. Dutton at once placed a special order. The order was filled on Sept. 15 and theguns were mmediately placed on the express trains as fast as they arrived in the city. The last train was equipped last Friday. The guns were secured through the Pletcher Hardware Company, on Woodbridge Street. .They are of a special pattern and were made expressly for the Michigan Central Railroad, Their barrels are only twentytwo inches long, so that the guns can be handled with ease in close quarters. Each gun contains six cartridges, and all six can be fired in a very short space of time. They are considered the fastest rapid-firing guns extant, known as the 1893 Winchester model. Eách charge contians twelve buckshot, 31-lOOths of an inch In diameter. The conductor, the brakeman, the engineer, the firemen and the expressman of every express train are armed with these weapons, with express instructions to utilize them in a case of an attempted robbery. The railroad company ordered 500 rounds of' charges for each and every gun purchased. The trains have all been furnished with racks, and every employé knows where his Winchester can be got ai a minute's time. The people who sold these guns said that the twelve buckshot in each charle would spread over a space of eight inches within ten feet aí'ter leaving the muzzle, and woald not spread over ten inches fifty feet from the muzzle. The charge írom one of these guns would cut a hole from eight to ten inches in diameter through any man. "The railroads have ffot to begin and arm their men," said Mr. Dutton yes terday. "We hope we will not have occasion to use the "riot guns,' but if we do, our men will shoot to kill, every one of them. The guns can be fired off as fast you can turn your left hand. I think that if any train robbers give our men half a chance there will be some without any heads at all. The pay car has been equipped with the guns in addition to all the express trains of the system, and the pay car men are also fitted out with revolvers. There are six men on our pay train armed with 'riot guns' and reolvers, and every employé on our express trains has a 'riot gun.' We began to put the guns into service on the trains a week ago, as fast as the trains cime in, and the last train was ped last