The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-10-11
LAST SLEEP.
49,
A Mans Body Oh the Rail
road Track.
His Head and Hand Severed
from the Body.

This morning at 1 o'clock Engineer Sar-
gent, who has charge of a switch engine on
the c., B. & O., for this city and Moline,
discovered corpse upon the track near
the division line of Rock Island and Mo
lire. He Immediately stopped his engine,
and with his fireman made an examination
of the remains. The lantern was produc
ed and most horrible sight was present
ed to view Tie dead mans he'd was
severed from his body, and was od.slde
the track, while portion of lis arm had
| also been detached, and was separate and
distinct from the rest of the body.
THE CORPSE
was cold to the touch, showing that death
had occurred some time before
the discovery was made by the
night engineer. 1t was also probable at the
first glance from his mutilated remains and
the situation of the body and everything
connected Herewith, that the deceased had
either voluntarily or by accident placed
himself upon the track and while thus sit
uated an engine had passed over him de
capitating the head and severing one hand
from the rest of the body. The deceased
was also partly disrobed and the presence
of a whiskey bottle near the spot led to
the inevitable conclusion that whiskey
had played an important part in the acct
dent. The engineer and firemen boarded
the engine again and reported their dis
covery to head quarters.
INFORMATION.
Coroner Morris was informed of the af
fair and at an early hour proceeded to the
spot where the dead man was located. 1t was
difficult to identify the dead man at first
but it was soon established beyond a doubt
that the deceased was James Livingston
the Mallable works of Moline He had
been on protracted spree for several days
and last Saturday was arrested for indulg
ing in row at Johnson's saloon. He ap
peared before Justice, gave bonds fol
his appearance this afternoon and was dis
charged He was last seen alive about
o'clock last night, by boy who works in
brass shop near the place where his body
was afterwards found. AT that time Liv-
1ngston was sadly intoxicated and was
seated near the railrord track. The
boy, as well as the boys father,
told him to move on, but the deceased did
time afterwards the c, B. & Q. passenger
train arrived and the boy went out to see
if the drunken man was still by the track
He did not see him and supposed that the
man had gone to his home.
The deceased was young man only %
years of age, was not married and had his
home in the southern part of the state.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
The head of the deceased had two cuts,
one down the forehead and the other over
the right ear 1t is said that they could
not have been inflicted by passing loco
motive and that they were caused by a
knife or other sharp instrument. The jury
impanelled this morning did not
complete the work, as the dis
covery of the two wounds in
the head will result in complete investi-
CATION of the affair when the grand jury
meets at a late hour this afternoon. 1t may
prove that the wounds were caused by
some bolt or other part of a locomotive,
and on the other hand it is barely passible
that some one may have had some diff
Guilty with the drunken man and inflicted
the cuts and placed him on the track to be
rim over nv some engine