New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-07-17
AT THE PERIL OF HIS LIFE.
HEROIC ATTEMPT TO SAVE A WOMAN.
TRYING IN VAIN TO PULL HER FROM IN FRONT oF
TRAIN AT SOUTH ELIZABETH-rHE WOMAN
INSTANTLY KILLED-THE MAN PROB

ABLY FATALLY HURT.
The pretty little station at South Elizabeth
on tho Pennsylvania Railroad was the yesterday
morning Of deplorable casualty and touching though
unavang and perhaps fatal, exhibition OF heroism
Miss Annie wyckof, a young woman living not lar
from the station and journey ing day Rahwsywas
caught suddenly by cruel misapprehe nson almost Do
tween the wheels Of bound through express.
Nothing she could do herself to all appearances, couo
| save her from being mangled ana crushed. Tho men
who saw her danger IN time only shouted. Perhaps
In justhable prudence they should have done nothing
more But courageous railroad official jesse j. Cat
hn' or South Elizabeth, total stranger, as IL nap
pened to the unfortunate young woman not seeing her
peril I'LL the last moment and taking the desperate
chance then left her life. succeeded in pulling
her almost from under the locomotives wheels lne
heavy engine was too quick, however.
The woman's body flung through the air to land,
bruised aud dead many feet while the adventur
Gus man who generously hoped to rescue her was
| thrown ,senscles on tho platform near by. Whether
| Mr.. Catin will recover Is doubtful
Ii was Just twenty minutes after when the acci
dent took place The sun had been struggling for an
hour or two with the heavy thunder clouds aud the rain
Was still falling lightly Everything wore dull, DIS
| piritcd aspect A few nagmen and train hands had
gathered the station compare notes before scat
erng to their usual tasks and the passengers for the
early trains east and west, dropped in by one look
ing wet and sleepy. Most OF them had comm uation
tickets and walked aziy through tho station to take
seats on the benches ranged under the pen roof before
tho oren tracks. There are tour tracks south Eliza
beth. the easbound through, the west-bound tm ough
and two switches On the nearest the station, but
of about fifty yards, lay freight train pulling out
coudof smoke which sank antralled under the heavy
OF the air the adjoining rails The Trenton
accommodation, No. 49, from NewYork WAS lust com
ng into sight the thrl OF Of tracks when
Miss WyckOh hurried through the station to the plat
FORM She wors neat black dress with black straw
hlfu c1a lLa1
the nearer tracks to reach the approaching western
train. FOR the last four months she has ridden on IL
every week day to Railway where she worAed at dress
making with Mira. Albert Jewell, OF william ST. All her
attention given to boarding her train and she stood
in the middle the tracks nearest her apparently
obviousoi everything elsc with her pretty face turned
ane away tie loerers the station and the long
| unhrosen stretch OF FURNISHED rails toward Railway
The rain and smoke oaH tain veil over them ana De-
hind this thin ve half rent half closing up again. the
Western at Elizabeth twenty minutes before
tearing aon, at speed OF thirty miles an
hour One Is not allowoi 10 stop at station while
another is passing it, and the Trenton odatior,
hearing the cxpross whistle, slowed ur almost to
spas pace The engineer of the east found train hav
ng the right OF way whstci again, and let the throt
tie On the heavy down grade. He did not the unoru
young standing his path until he was with
in sixty feet of her. and then, with the Iungng head
way OF his long rran. the discovery too late.
Tie men about the station had heard the first whistle
and realized Miss WycEofs danger They gave shout
Of warning and alarm. The young womans head turned
half round. lips parted with little shrek of ter
ror. she seemed dazei for a moment by the sudden
noisy cries ard the thunder OF the approaching loc"mO
tive. Apparently her own efforts were powerless to
save her. At this uncture Yard Master Catin who had
come over early train for Jersey City, was seen
rushing toward the second tracL. His hat flew of and
his whole figure seemed to palpitato with excitement
The train down the slippery rails By eaps Almost,
the air biakes only making 1t shake and plunge more
violenty. The daring official ezed the frightened girl
by tue waist and pulled her. as 1t seemed to the
edge of the rail- last desperate jerk-then every
| thing disappeared FOR moment Two sharp agonzed
shreSs heard and the train rushed by. leaving
two used and bloody forms stretched forty feet apart
along the station platform. The plot rail OF the engine
had struck girl between the waist and head killing
her instantly and dashng her body almost sixty feet
through the air. MI Catlin had got free or the engine
hut never let 90 his grip Miss WyckOf and was
whired about and landed on his head upon the panks
near by. Both picked up for dead The girls neck
seemed broken, anisome face Was dislgured ami
her hips were crushed tog ther MI ,atiin neau was
bleeding and his pulse was gone AIDED oy inc passen
gers VINO had collected and the train hands Edwari
Terr tho ticket gent, covered the bodies with cots
laid them the floor OF the station room
Dr. James >. Greene the county PHYSICIAN was tele
grat he'd for and the railroad authorities were Informed
sorry was finally sent to Miss wyckons nome,
back few Dlockn in WashingtoD-ave, whence she hau
only earlier picture OF health anu nap
Before the county physician could arrive however the
energetic ticket with his nts and stnuans from
convenisnt closet had discovered that Mr.. Csin was
siin breathing lie was turned his side, began to
vomit and had tho blood howlng IRON MS ears alu
nose lie was till unconscious but the breathing came
reer and some hone began felt that the heroic man
would recover Dr. Greene hed irlel eA t anu r
then ordered Miss Wyckofs body to he carried 10 hsr
homs to await corOners inquest The blow was n
severe the TycKoh family. Miss Wycko1 was the
secord daughter and the oldest living al nome ohe hu
been working for bve years with Mrs Jewell, IN kaR-
where the family lived until last Apr and Inen nenmce M
generally moved to Elizabeth and his daughter peIeei
riding back aud forth each day u settlnt oy n
Hallway she was tall we'll formed and graceful she pad
dark hair and eyes aud dark conple10n oue m un n
way an had ber membership rhceny TO one
of the Elizabeth Presbyterian Churches sue oe aeoou
Younger she WAS in her twentysIth year. Her Dod!
lay in of the large ground hoor rooms ol ao d "
now syIs Here h coroneps ry headed BY
Tnomas TeIrill, r, viewed it. Though verdict was
arrived burial permit wes gwen ana tne iunci"'
will 'ake place at O'Clock on Monday morning .,
Mr Catiins house too stards only oo,k or two from
the station aud he injured man. sun Unconscious, W."
he rad not recovered consciousness and was still Deea
from the aud ears HIS pulse PAD gone up 70 30
The feared lie was suffering IRON conc9ssGGn o
the nrn aud no great hopes held out OF his re
covery Mr. Catin has been yard master IN tue lIess a
stands high with the Prnnsylv.ia Railroad manage
men lie has been an enpcye o tue roa1 un nd three
chlarcn. Station Master C. L. Myers, OF Elzaoetn sta
Mr. Ca.ins death. His life was insured ne fet ce,ta,
There general regstse xpresscd at the Pennsy y
onlre, Tor ME- OdtIih luJuiloei 90
alton OF his unselnsh and courageous conduct =.
The coronrIs met in the Elizabeth court hoseI IA
tie afternoon listen the testimony OF the ralttos
officials aud spectators about the occurrence ana a1r
ward looked the ground at South llAapotu ~ Vo
pany with sta Master Myers and Engineer "iiah "h
FurInan OF the Western express The evidence cos
the conI any blame for the most part CohuuVto,
Doan OF The Trenton stated that he nad
warned Mss Wyckon against comins over 10 nee ''
train before 1t arrived and offered to call her whon
stopped Tue jury adjourned, until next irl
day morning at . A. H. when verdict will be rendered
| in the Elzapeth Court House Nearly two hunureu
tral uns EllzaDeth
omen and ybody In the village Is wondering why
some such accident had not occurred before
STEAM LAUNCHES AND GIGS RACING.
THE rrrrr OF STEAM YACHTS GATHERED IN DEER