Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-07-23
HER BODY CUT IN TWAIN
HORRIBtE DEATH or AN AGED
MILK WOMAN.


Mother Cooper. an old Irish lady, Man
gied Almost beyond RECOGNITION on
the savannah, Florids aud Western
Railway. AT the Gwinnett street Gross
ing Coroner's Invest CATION and
the JurYs Verdict,
AT 1880 o'clock yesterday Mrs. Mary
Cooper, an old Irish lady, was run
over and Killed By shifting engine in the
yards of the Savannah, Florida and
Western railway. No one, It seems, saw
her at the moment. ID. o. Sullivan, the
engineer of pusher No %, stated that the
first he knew of the accident was when
lie felt a slight jar as the wheels passed
over the body.
The old woman kept herd Of 16 or IS
cows, and made comfortable living
from their MILK Almost every day she
drove them from her home on Bryan
street, east Of Price, to the outskirts Of
the city. In all sorts Of weather she
herded them there while they pastured on
the grass. She was well known in the
southern section Of the city, and Mother
Cooper and her cows were seen almost
daily ON tine commons.
Yesterday she was out there as She had
been many q time before tending her cat
tie. Awhile after II o'clock she started
10 20 through the railroad yard in the
lneighbOrhOod of Gwinnett street. 1t was
a short cut 10 where the cows were brows-
ing. The old fagman and gatekeeper,
Arthur W. McAyoy saw her slowly
tOttering along the tracks between the
main line and side track. He was busy
Il king the Bolton street gate, as II was out
OF order and failed 10 work. When last
he saw her alive she vas 60 yards away
and walking south.
No. % was quite a distance down the
yard from him, but moving slowly up be-
hind the old woman. Bells were ringing
all around, engines were putting, and the
escaping steam kissing above and below.
L. 5. stewart, a swltchman, was max
1ng up a freight train TO 20 out. He Or
dered No. 10, which was on the main track
with No. %, To run over on the river track
switch and get car that was standing
there. No. p had TO back some distance
10 get out OF the way of \ 0. 10, which was
in front. When % moved up, after letting
the other pusher on the side track, En-
glneer Sullivan was on the rigbt-hand side
of the cab. simon Hughes, his coiCred
fireman, was at the brake on the opposite
side, Charles Pear, a cOl0red trainman,
acting then as a switchmau, was standing
on a f0Ot-0Oard in front of the engine,
which was backing. he said that he
Hooked around after the pusher started TO
r. q 10 .nNi 4 W An az buiuE Ou NAlt Il avn
IL Saw nothing, but the next instant felt
q succession of jolts. CHANGING down at
the track he saw the bleeding, mangled
form Of old Mrs. Cooper roll out. He
jumped OF and called to the engineer.
The latter and the fireman discovered the
accident almost simultaneously. A large
crowd of workmen and passers soou
assembled.
The remains presented a CHASTITY. hor-
rible sight. The body was cut completely
in two across the stomach. One arm was
crushed and severed above the elbow.
The LETT arm was frightfully mangled. and
hung by only few shreds Of flesh. Blood
aud intestines were strewn along the
track in a sickening way. A part Of the
body was lying between the rails. Some
OF the crushed limbs were picked up on
one side.
Friends OF the unfortunate woman went
out TO the scene and gathered up the
pieces, and had them taken TO her late
home. She lived with her son, George
sullivan, who last saw her alive when
he left home to 90 home TO work, early in
the morning. At 8 O'Clock in the after
noon Coroner Dixon held an inquest
Engineer Sullivan, Fireman simon
Hughes, the switchmen Stewart and
Pear, and the gatekeeper, McAyoy, were
examined. Their evidence was substan-
tally the same as above stated.
The engineer and fireman both said that
they were on the lookout, and were sure
that they could have seen any one on the
track "A moment before the accident
They said that they did not see her until
after she was struck. The engine at the
time was moving at the rate OF ! or
IL miles per hour; so slow, in fact, that
person walking could easily keep along
side. From the testimony OF the witnesses
there was no evidence that the accident
occurred through the neglect Of duty Of
anyone. Being, as she was, outside Of
the public highway, in the yard among
q number of cars, some moving and others
stationary, the jury found q verdict q ac-
oidental death, without attaching blame
10 the railway company.
The funeral will be held to-day at 80
O'Clock p. m. The interment will be at
the CATHEDRAL cemetery.
The deceased was 81 years Of age and a
widow Tor the past twenty years.