Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1875-02-12
FEARFUL TRAGEDY
Mr.. ELIJAH CHITTEsTER AND WIFE RUN
OVER AND KILLED BY THE CARS,
WHILE ON THE WAY TO
BROTHERS, FUNERAL.

One of those terribly painful accidents,
the telling of which makes the blood re-
turn in frigid currents 10 the heart, oc-
Cured at Harters crossing of the b., G.
II. & NJ r. r., a mile or two above this
city, on Sunday last, at about the hour of
one o'clock P. NJ. An engine and tender,
upon which were twenty or thirty labor
ers who had been working in the drifts
further up the track, was at that hour
backing down to town, gong at the rate
of about 10 miles an hour. At the same
time Mr. Elijah Chittcster, an old and re-
spected resident of Littlcton, and his wife,
in one-horse cutter, wrapped in shawls
and blankets, approached the crossing
The road crosses the track at quite an
acute angle, and the ground ON the west
side of the track, at this point, is consider
ably lower than on the east side. The ev-
idence at the inquest shows that the en-
gincer blew the whistle 60 rods above the
crossing, but probably the occupants of
the sleigh did not hear it. At any rate,
the engine and the sleigh each approached
the crossing without intimation of the vi
cinity of the other, until both were less
than 20 feet from it. At this juncture the
horse made leap from the road and bound
ing on to the track in front of the engine,
started at break speed down the rails
Had he continued on the track he would
have escaped the engine, which at this
time was reversed, and its speed slacken-
ing. But about twenty rods from the
crossing he took short turn off the left
side of the roadway, either in obedience
to the rein or of his own accord, throwing
Mr.. Chittester and his wife out of the
sleigh in front of the advancing engine,
the sleigh clearing the track and the horse
loosed from it by the breaking of the
thills, running away out of danger. The
tender struck Mrs. Chittester, showed her
about rod, and then the wheels passed
over her lower limbs, near the body, cut
ting them nearly off, the upper part
of her body being ioutside the rail
Mr.. Chittcster was showed and rolled |
along the track about twelve rods further,
and when the engine stopped his lfeless
body, terribly bruised and mangled was
with some difficulty taken from beneath
the pilot When the men reached Mrs.
Chittester she was yet living and breathed
upwards of an hour. The bodies were
placed upon the tender and brought to the
depot, where an inquest was held upon
them by Esq. Roszell, acting as coroner,
the result of which will be found below. !
These are the particulars of one of the
most fearful casualties that ever occurred
in our county, and one that has cast a /
shade of horror over the entire cOmmuni- |
ty. Mr.. ana Mrs. Chittester were between
60 and 20 years of age, and were among
the Oldest and most respected citizens of
Buchanan county They leave Il grown
up family and large circle of friends !
and neighbors to mourn their untimely |
fate The remains were on Monday tax
en- to Littleton for interment. The fol |
lowing is the verdict of the coroners ju |
nv. 1t will be seen that it exhonerates |
the parties on the engine from all blame:
VERDICT or CoRoNER's JURY.
We. the jury. find that the bodies now here lying |
are the bodies of Elijah Chittester and Elizabeth
being accidently run over by an engine and tender
running the b. c. r. 4 NJ. Railroad in Wash
ington township, in this county OF Buchanan. on
this 9TH day Of February. 1875.
We further find that said accident was not the |
result of any fault negligence on the part Of
any person in charge Of said train.
ID. S. DEERING.
NJ. d. SMITH. Jurors.
S. CIRCUIT.
Attest:
,Justice ActinO