The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-08-07
The Most Terrible Death Oh Record
From the Detroit Free Press, July 20.

About half.pst 10 o'clock yesterday Il
young man named Edward Clouticr. engaged
in vanishing furniture on the third floor of
No. 81 iNwater street. met with horrible
DEATH The yUllng man has had great pas
sion for gymnastics. expecting to attach nm
self 10 a circus us soon as lie became prof.
ricnt. While workin" around the building
he has used al his spare moments III swing
iilg from beams. turning hand-springS, and
performing other ttats calling for suppleness
and activity. lie was seen cIingins to the
main shaft of the 200-horSc power engine Il
few DAYS ago. and was warned by his en-
mover never to attempt the feat again. This
Shaft runs along within thirty inches of the
floor. and makes about one hundred and
hflv revolutions per minute. In the
morning Yesterday, after finishing up Il
table. Clouter went to the north end OF
the building and prepared himself to perform
some feat which lie had studied up. Taking
the tackle rope. which is used TO hoist artl-
clcs from the alley below, he passed the free
end over the shaft. This much was asccl-
ioinrd after his death, but his further pro-
cccdincs will never be known. n boy was
working forty feet away, and was first allrmc d
bv hearing Clouticr call ont, "Stop the en-
eine-ui1rk !" Running around, the boy
saw that he was caught in the folds of the
rome and wound over the Shaft. The boy
ran. as did others, but it was two or three
minutes before the engine could he stopped,
and then the victim was past help. AS soon
IL the rope dashed him to the shaft the young
man had to turn with it. One of his arms
was caught round the shaft so that il
drew hia face aud shoulder close down,
t.,r, Il front N
noor. The noise Of his feet striking
the boards was heard half Il block, away
above the hum of the machinery. His boot
heels tore strip of one OF the boards, ana
were then flung from his feet clear across the
room. His hat went the other way, and hls
pants were stripped OIL and thrown llltcen
feet away. After the boots New oil, the
yo,lnw mans bare feet whipped the lioCf
three or four hundred times. The feet were
mashed up to the ankles so that they spread
out like broomS, and looked like pieces ct
bloody beef. The bones of the ankles struck
the floor until dents half III inch deep were
made in the boards. After the tackle rope
had been wound up its full length it had to
snap. but this did not lief the victim loose.
After the engine stopped Cloutier had 10
lie cut loose from the shaft. lie gave Z
Gasp as they released him, but died
is they laid linn down. One Of hl>
arms was broken half Il dozen times, and,
indeed, there was hardly whole bone in h't
body. His legs were mere pups, his breast
crushed in. his ribs broken, timers broken
back and neck broken, aud worse >lGli'
never was seen. The floor was covered W.T.!
blood and flesh, and the strongest men sllil't
dered as they looked. Coroner Gr,l Wns
called, and jury was empnnellrd, ana :
verdict rendered OH the spot. The verdict
was to the effect that the deceased came lf
his death while trying an experiment with
rope around 4 shaft making l35 revolutions
per minute. The verdict was thus wordrt
to make palmer the fact that the young man
recklcssness brought about the accident.