River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1886-11-18
ABOUT THE STAT.

a
Savannah, Georgia.
Miss Nellie Villas, daughter of Post
master General Villas is visiting at Mil
waukee and Madison.
Governor Rusk appointed c NJ. Dur
kee register of deeds of Price County,
vice j. r. Remer, resigned.
At Whitewater, Mrs MaryA Cricer
dropped dead of heart disease while
visiting a neighbor She was 81 wears
of age. and had resided in the state
about forty years.
The United States fish commission
Cox visited Madison last week. and,
10000 carp were delivered to the fish
hatchery at Madison and 1 coo more to
200 widely separated applicants in the
/ State.
| Up to the 18th thirtv-one Of the sixty
/ 1--WE counties of the state had reported
officially. and Gov. Rusk' plurality Is
2S3 more than the same counties gave
him when his plurality in the state was
/ 49, 69
At Madison Dwight Wilson who re-
sides on the southeast shore of Lake
1 MOnOna. killed fine eagle. Ii
measured seven feet from tin 10 tip of
the wings, and thirty-three inches
from the beak to the tip of the tail
| W. Ii McCord of Merrill has his log
! 1ing crews already in the woods. He
has camps on the Big and Little Some
and Little Rice. The intended cut is
5000, 900 fe It. The three camps will
employ eighty men and twenty-seven
teams. The Champagne Lumber coml
pany is to pu. in $4,000, 800 feet and
run seven ca n1S. 1t has a large store
up on the Sault Ste Marie road from
which TO supply It's camps.
Cecil Chees Ore. years old.
swallowed strycluine from a phial at
his home near Monticello, Green
county. The frightened mother did
what she could TO remove il. and
called for his father, who was husking
corn in an adjoining field Taking in
the situation at glance, they all
jumped into the wagon, partly filled
with corn, and began race with grim
death. Soon after they reached the
doctors, however. the little one fell in
to spasms and died.
Brakeman Clarence H. Wells, WHO is
charged by the Coroner's jury with
having left the switch opel which
caused the terrible Rio disaster is now
in jail at Portage, and in an interview
made the following statement in his
own behalf. He said that he did not
/ see how he could be held responsible,
and if proper justice was done. he had
no fears of any serious results. He de-
clared that he did not open the switch
and that Hankey the Conductor did
not tell him 10 close it; nor did be saw
that he had, and that Hankey was the
man who opened it aud should have
closed it, according to the printed rules
on the company's time-card. vnich he
drew from his pocket and read as fol.
| lows.
Rule 3S-Conductsrs will be held resDon-
sible for the position OF switches after
using.
Rule 39-Whoever turns a switch from
the main track must see THAI it is reset TO
the main track aud locked.
Il do not see how can be held ac-
cOuntable for the mishap under such
rules, as | was neither conductor of the
train nor the man who opened the
switch. As Hankey testified. he opened
the switch himself. | do wish my tes-
timOny had been put in print; then the
I public could have weighed both for
what they were worth. have heard al
sorts of stories that had fed the coun-
| try. l w0aid Ike to know who wouldn't
have fled under similar circum, tdnces
when the excited passengers were
screaming for help and some calling
for axes, water, etc. which made me feel
as though they night deal Outviolence to
me, not knowing " hO might be TO blame
for the accident, as | had no fears
otherwise. / knew also that would be
of no use TO render aid under the cir
cumstances. The last person | saw
was the fireman. who seemed to be
badly scalded, and asked mo to help.
him, which | could not do, as | did not
have any means of doing for him.
Il walked to Columbus that night
and reached WATERFOWL the following
afternoon, when | took the train INTO
Milwaukee. While in the general
offices of the road / was asked by
Clark if [ would appear at the inquest
and give testimony, and | told him
would go anywhere. o course had
some arxietV, as il was a terrible affair.
and no man feels worse over it than
do
" as HCftA hbUWu ~ BG uGuHT the
influence Of liquor, and have always
tried to do my duty. 1 think ] can
give bail if it is not too large, but /
have not decided as yet whether will
give bail or not; but | certainly am
innocent.
Il was born in Minnesota. was p
years old the 14th day of last August
have wife, mother. two brothers and
sister. My wife resides in Milwau-
kee, where | have been making nv
home for the past few months. Nv
mother resides il Minnesota. one
brother, +. c. Wells. formerly con
ductOr ON the ST. Paul, lives in Mime
sofa, Oh a farm near Napoleon. An
other brother, E, b. is now braking on
a passenger run between Minneapolis
and Omaha. My sister is the wife of
DIR. Edwards who resides at Theodore,
OAK. "