The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-07-06
Tragic Death Of an Army Officer.

Tragic Death Of an Army Officer.
FIRST LIEUT.. EDWARD H. .ToTTEN,
of the First Artillery, U. S. Army, met
with a frightful death near the Cold
Spring Station, on the Hudson River
Railroad, this morning. Totten at
tended the exercises at West Point
yesterday, and was present when the
diplomas were awarded. He then
crossed the river, to Cold Spring, and
spent the evening with Gov. Kemble,
of whose family he was a relative.
About nine o'clock this morning he an
nounced his intention of returning to
West Point to witness the departure of
some friends, and started for the Cold
Spring dock, accompanied by Miss
Mary T. Kemble. Miss Gertrude KEN
BILE and Miss May Kemble. The path
way leading from the Kemble mansion
to the Hudson River Railroad abuts
upon the track about 500 feet south of
the only rock-cut between the grounds
and the station, and the party had to
walk a few rods on the railroad in or
der to get to the ferry which plies be-
tween the two villages. As they were
passing through the cut the shrill whis-
tie of locomotive recalled them from
the careless badinage of the occasion,
and on glancing southwark the Pough-
keepsie passenger train was seen com
ing through the cut at Il rapid rate
They were bewildered for the moment,
the space being very narrow, and when
the trackman shouted to them to hurry
forward to an open space in the cut
where the train could safely pass them,
they either did not understand what he
said or were bewildered by the situa-
ton, and, instead of doing so, rushed
across to the down track, and the ST.
Louis express train from the north
Numbered down upon them at the rate
of forty miles an hour. Misses Gertrude
and May Kembie, with more pres
ence of mind than would have been
expected under the circumstance, dart
ed across the track they had just left,
with the engine almost upon them, and
thus escaped. Miss Mollie Kemble,
with equal presence of mind, stepped off
the down track in another direction,
and saved herself by clinging to the
wall, and holding her skirts firmly
| down with her hands as the train rushed
by. Lieut.. Totten appears to have tried
to save himself by standing in the mar
row space between the two trains, pass
ing in different directions. The attempt
proved fatal. When the trains had dis
appeared he was found lying partly on
the down track, with the back of his
head literally crushed in, and his neck
and one arm broken. Miss MOllie
tainted when the peril was over, and
was carried home insensible, but she
soon recovered. The remains of Lieut..
Totten, covered with blood, were placed
upon litter and conveyed to the KEN
| bic mansion.
The fireman of the Poughkeepsie
train, who was questioned this after
noon, stated that at $40, as he was
coming into the Cold Spring station,
he saw three ladies and a gentleman
on the up track. He blew the whistle,
and rang the bell, and then saw the
train and stepped over to the down
track. At that moment he caught sight
of the St. Louis express coming south
The young ladies evidently saw the lat
ter, and two of them recrossed the
track to the east side. The Other
stepped to the west, and crowded her
self close to the wall. The man stood
between the up and down tracks with
his sides north and south, and his
hands close to his sides, his face look.
ing toward the east. 81 saw" said the
fireman, " that he was dead man un.
less he lay down, but | couldn't make
him hear me and the trains were
too close to stop. | saw the engineer
of the st. Louis train motion to the
girl to cling close to the wall. Just as
the trains were passing each other the
mans straw hat was blown off and
struck the front of my engine. looked
to the rear, and saw the engine, mail
car, baggage car, and two passenger
cars of the st. Louis train pass the man
without stirring him, but the third pas
senger car struck him and hurled
him against the last car of my train,
from which he bounded back under the
wheels of the express. The girl cling
ing to the wall saw the engineer mo-
ton to her, and pulled her dress about
her more tightly. The train stopped,
and Conductor Ferris sent man back
to see what had happened"
Lieut.. Totten was the grandson OF
the famous Gen. Totten, so long an au-
thority in military engineering and son
of Capt Totten, of the navy.-Pough-
keepSie Dispatch TO ~ Y. Times.