The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1878-06-28
DEATH BETWEEN TWO TRAINS.

DEATH BETWEEN TWO TRAINS.
PoUGuKEEP>IE, juno 14.-Lieutenant
Edward II. Totten, of tho regular army,
met with frightfu death near Cold Spring
Station, on the Hudson River Railroad, at
0.3O o'clock this morning
Lieutenant Totten attended the exercises
at West Point yesterday, and was present
when the diplomas were awarded to the
graduating class. Being u relative of Gov.
{ ernor Kemble's family ut Cold Spring, he
went to their house last evening and spent
the night there. This morning, about 8
o'clock, he announced his intention of re.
turning to West Point to see some friends
!, Of. and the young ladies Of the Kemble
family concluded to 60 with him to Cold
spring dock, where he was to take passage
IN u small boat for West Point. The party
was composed Of Miss Maria T. Kemble,
who is about eighteen years of age Miss
Gertrude kemble. niac younger, and
Miss May kemble, aged twelve or thirteen.
The party went from the Kemblc man.
sion through the adjacent grove and down
the path leading to the Hudson River Rail.
road track. The steps leading from the
kemble grounds to the track are about 500
feet south of the only rock cut between
them aud Cold Spring Station. When
they gained the railway all walked along on
the up track, laughing and chatting, till
suddenly locomotive whistle was heard
The party looked southwark and observed
the Poughkeepsie passenger train approach.
ing. They were little bewildered for
momeut, when man ahead of them told
them to hurry to an open space where thew
could find safety. They either did not un
derstand him Or became more bewildered,
and all rushed across to the down track,
when, looking northward, they saw the St.
Louis express coming at the rate Of forty
miles an hour and close on them, for there
IEs sharp curve there. Miss Gertrude and
MISS May kemble, with great presence OF
kmlnd, ran back across the last track again
and got out of the way of both trains.
Miss Mollic MariD Kemble stepped off
the down track to wall close to it and
clung as close to the wall as possible, with
her back towards the fast train and holding
her skirts down with her hands. Lieuten.
ant Totten stood between both the up and
down tracks edgeways, with his face to the
poos yonqs atsea rss fsusd t;sSs .is;sSSx partly
6n The down track with the Back of his
head crushed in and his neck and an arm
broken and the bl:od flowing from his
wounds. When the trains passed, Miss
Mollie, who had clung to the wall expecting
every instant to be killed, tainted from
fright and was carried off in an insen.ible
condition, but afterwards recovered The
remains Of Lieutenant Totten were picked
up as tendcrly us possible, placed upon a
sfr ohar Al
sion.
The fireman Of the locomotive attached
! 70 tke1 P6ughkeepsie train makes the follow
ping statement:
We were coming into Cold Spring Sta
tion this morning at 90, when saw three
ladies and gentleman on the up track
We blowed our whistle and rung our bell,
and they saw US coming and stepped over
| on the down track. Just then | saw the
st. Louis express coming south. The young
ladies appeared to see the train also, aud
two of them recrossed our track to the
east side The other lady stepped to the
west of the down track and crowded her.
self close against. the wall, and pulled her
dress Close around her, With her arms hang
ing close to her side. The man stood be.
S"SSo WV up ouu uOHu tIdChS VIII UlS SlueS
north and south, his hands cluse to his
sides. wiIa his nrnIs at fun length and his
face looking towards the girl. l saw that
ne had no earthly chance unless he laid
down, but you could not make him hear,
and the trains were too close to stop. l
saw the engineer of the st. Louis express
motion the girl with his two hands to cling
as close to the wall as possible. Just as our
trains were passing each other l saw the
mans straw hat blow off and it struck the
front of my engine. looked to the rear
| and saw the engine, mail oar, baggage car
and two passenger cars of the St. Louis pass
tho man without touching him, but the third
passenger car struck him and Knocked him
against the last car of my train and he
bounded back under the wheels Of the OK.
press. The girl who was clnging to the
wall saw the engineer Of the st. Louis mo-
tioning to her and pulled her dress about
her more tightly. When we stopped Con-
ductor Lewis sent man back to look after
the people.
Lieutenant Totten was the grandson of
General Totten, who was for many years
Chief Of United States Engineers He
graduated at West Point in 1865, and for
several years after was Adjutant of the
First Artillery stationed Mt Newnort md