The Indianapolis leader. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1879-1890, 1880-09-11
A HORRIBLE ACCIDENT.
Conductor Morris, of the L. and st. l..
R..R. Instantly Killed-Others
Injured.
The Train Thrown From the Track by a
Misplaced Rail, the Work or
Demons In Human Form.

About l clock Thursday morning ter
rible accident occurred on the Indianapolis
and St. Louis Road, in which Conductor
George Morris, of this city, was instantly
killed The train is known as the New
York Express, and leaves st. Louis early III
the evening" arriving in this city about 4
o'clock on the following morning. lmmedi-
ately after the accident occurred telegram
was sent to his friends and relatives In this
city giving particulars Of the catastrophe
The following special to the Sentinel gives
the facts as they occurred
DETAILS OF THE ACCIDENT.
TERRE HAUTE, Ind, Sept. 9-The 1. and ST. L.
passenger train No. g. due here at 1893 a. m, was
thrown from the track by misplaced rail early
this morning, threequarters of mile west OF st.
Marys Conductor George Morris was instantly
killed, and all old lady, who has since gone East,
and whose name Is unknown, was injured about
the head How the other passengers escaped In
the manner they did seems miraculous. The
train wrecked is very fast, and was eastbound.
At Mattoon a telegram was received from the con-
ductor of the westbound freight No. 10, giving
warning of an attempt to throw the train from the
track with boards placed across the same. A
switch train goes out every night to assist No 10
up the steep grade At Sandford it encountered
some boards on the track, which had been taken
up from the crossing west of ST. Mary's. The en-
gine brushed the obstruction but 1t was consid-
cred significant, and the fact was telegraphed the
east-bound passenger train. VIM. White, engineer,
was therefore, looking out for something when he
came down the grade between Sandford and st.
Marys but no boards encountered. The
wretches had planned much more skillful am
bush and in a different place. The point selected
is trestle over a gulch some thirty feet
deep and fifty wide where the third rail, west OF
the trestle on the south side of the track taken
up and moved In about two inches. When En-
gineer White noticed the change in the track ne
was too close to stop, but with
perfect presence OF mind pulled
opened the trottle to the last notch and
made the engine jump at furious speed, and In
this manner the engine, baggage car and two
coaches cleared the hollow. The Horton chair
car and sleeper were left balanced on the sringers
of the trestle. The engine ran up the track about
a hundred feet and stopped without upsetting.
Morris was seated IN the smoking car on the coal
box. passenger asked him how far 1t was to
Terre Haute? He replied to the question, and
stopped to open the stove door when the car gave
a violent lurch forward, overturned, and, heading
against the bank, was burst in at the end, and
Morris was terribly injured about the head and
bruised In other parts of the body. He died In a
few minutes The fireman was not hurt. The
engineer escaped with painful cuts on the hands.
There were seventy-fve passengers on board. The
Company are In possession of facts which may
lead to the capture Of the villains who were the
cause of the accident.
THE REMAINS.
Undertaken Kregelo left this city on the s
a. m. train for the scene of the disaster, and
took charge of the remains. He had the
body embalmed, by order of the Railroad
Company, and returned on the 5:45 p. M.
train yesterday. The remains, after being
properly dressed, were sent to the Morris
residence, No. 161 Pendleton avenue. The
funeral is announced to take place to-
ployes of the Company are expected from
the west end of the road to be present at
the funeral The following persons
were on the train with Morris
at the time of the accident:
Billy White, engineer Dan Watson, fire.
man; James Smith, baggage-master; Perry
Coon, Brakeman, and Ad Heermans, Amer
lean Express messenger. Mr.. Morris was
highly respected and loved by all his COM
rades and friends. He leaves a wife and
four children-three girls, the oldest of
whom is about sixteen years of age and one
boy There seems to be difference of opin-
ion as to the position of Mr.. Morris at the
time of the crash. Mr.. W. r. Caulkins, of
Rochester, n. Y, who was a passenger on
the ill-fated train and an eyewitness, thinks
that Morris was sitting on the front seat in
the smoking car, near the stove, and that he
had the iron poker in his hand, and was in
the act of opening the stove door when the
crash came. Mrs. s. w. Rogers, of St.
Louis, is the name of the lady injured. She
is quartered at the New-Denison, and was
resting easy last night