The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1867-11-28
the Hamilton accom- modatioinn and freight

the Hamilton ccommodation and freight
mixed, that was following rapidIy, anG
would soon be up with them Cress
was seen to start back at q rapid pace
bearing a red and q white light While
he went on his GRAND sthe conductor
walked down along the freight train its
entire length of nearly 1000 feet, to see
what damage the Beckett had sustained.
lie then started back, and had walked
only third of the distance in return
when he realized that something was
wrong. Three quarters of mile away
IN the darkness and through the fog
was coming a train of sixteen cars-two
passenger and the balance freight -
whizzing along with the ST eed of steam
and steep down grade. He heard the
whistle for brakes on once, and knew
that the flagman's signal had been no.
ticed. He heard the whistle again, and
wondered that it should have been re
peated. He heard it third time, saw
the dim glitter of a swiftly approaching
headlight, and knew, although he could
not comprehend why, that death and
destruction were at hand.
Whistling the brakes down, turning
its wheels with reversed motion, doing
all that it could to avoid its fate, the
Franklin, an unwilling agent of death,
slid along the wet rails, propelled by
the momentum of its train, and plunged
half its length into the rear "sleeper.' -
The crash was terrible. Instantly near
ly all the passenger cars were jammed
into each other, and the Steedman was
driven into the caboose Of the freight
train. In two of the cars people were
writhing under the fortunes of torn
limbs and bodies but in the last car
death was reveling. Mr., Allison escap-
ed: but there was four women and a
man imprisoned between timbers and
pannels, bleeding, and gasping, and dy
ing, one with her entrals torn out, and
another with her head cut off
Ii this was terrible, that which ensued
was horrible. While the bewildered
and frightened passengers in the other
cars were being released, the steam,
scalding hot, was parboiling these man
gled victims, the smoke was choking
them, and soon there was a whirl of fire
through car, from the engines headlight
or the car stove--the only fire of the
train that had not been extinguished as
soon as possible after the accident The
flames swept all over this last fatal wreck,
wreathed themselves around five human
beings, ate up clothing, skin, flesh, and
bones, while the victims shrieked and
screamed for mercy, for pity, for aid
and one for water One of the ladies
got her head out of the window, and an
effort was made to rescue her, but it was
made in vain. Only her head and neck
could have been saved from fire for her
body was locked between timbers and
could not be drawn out
The conductor and engineer procured
axes and attempted to cut into the car,
but failed in this Rapidly the fire swal
lowed this car, and strobe through and
over every passenger coach of the train.
Its progress was unimpeded and its
triumph complete, save that it could
find no more lives to destroy.
When the fire had exhausted itself,
the wreck was cleared away from the
track, and search for the dead was
made. A headless trunk and trunk
that lacked limbs were found, and three
others were found, less mutilated'-
While the dressing of the wounded was
in progress, these CHASTITY remnants of
humanity were picked out, all charred
and blackened, and still smoking with
heat, and carefully laid aside. SO far
as was possible, the parts were placed
together. There were remains of two
bodies, however, that amounted to moth
ing more than several unacceptable
masses of broiIed flesh and broken
bones.
From an examination of the baggage
Of the ladies who met their death in this
horrible manner, it was ascertained their
names were Harriet, Rebecca, Sarah,
and Jane Morgan, who resided at New
Orleans, and had been visiting in Canada,
and were then on their way home, in
tending to stop at Louisville, KY, and
spend couple Of days with some of
their acquaintance there. The gentle
man who was killed was Mr.. Charles
Jackson, Of Boston, who had acquaint-
ances on the train and friends in Cincin-
natl. This man was not scratched. He
was roasted alive-in the full vigor of
manhood-and he met death in the he
roism of vain attempt to save one or
more of the ladies. After the crash he
was seen outside the train, on the ground,
entirely unframed. It was supposed
that he was standing on the platform
and jumped; but when he saw the head
of one and the hand of another Of the
ladies who were imprisoned. in the car
and appealing for help, projecting from
the window, while the steam was scald :
ing them, but before the roasting alive
had communicating worked his way
back into the car, chow is not known,
unless through one of tue windows) in
a noble effort to save life. But he was
Immediately choked and blinded by
smoke and steam. and sank down beside
his fellow travellers and sufferers and
died with them.