New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-02-08
SUICIDE BEFORE A crown
AN OLD MAN PLACES HIMSELF BEFORE AN
ELEVATED TRAIN

SEE THE ENGINE PASS OVER HIM-Hs
NODDED HIS HEAD WHEN ASKED BEFORE
| ME- DIED ~ HIS NAME WE'RE
| CALLAHAN-No IDRNTIFIcATov.
suicide caused much excitement at the Forty
second Street Of the Third Avenue Elevated Rail
road at lO:45 a. m. yesterday. AbOnt fifty persona
who bad got off shuttle tram from the Grand
Central Station. stood on the platform west OF the
tracks at the time waiting for the down tram.
Ont Of the crowd walked an old man who attracted
no particular attention until he got TO the northern
end Of the platform aud started down the short
flight of steps to the railroad tracks lie was
short, slender and weak looking with white hair
and white sfubb'e growth of whIskers on his
face and he was deceltiy dressed IN dark SUIT.
As he reached Ihe track and IN 'de turn a. il 10
cross over TO the east slds several persons on tina
platform shouted warning. rhe down train.
drawn by locomotive No. $50, was approach
lug Forty -second-st aud was not more than
$50 var y away. .ienry G.. Davis, the engineer
and George w. Wood, tho fireman on tine loco no
tive saw the old man climb down 10 The tracks
At first they supposed thai he was an employe OF
the railroad company, bat as no stepped on thu
track they changed their mIads ant DAVIS blew q
blast on the whistle TO warn the stranger Of ms
peril.
THe OLD MAN KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING.
| 1t became apparent second later that tho old
man knew what he was about and needed no warn
ing His eyes had measured the distance OF the
train from the station, AID he had gDne on tine
track with the deliberate intention OF beng run
over. AS the train drew near u INN ne kIelt Oh
the track as Il preparing 10 offer % PRAYER. Ihen
he turned his face to ward tue station an tried 10
Law his mead OF the eastern rail- or the down track
A cry of horror rose from the sta'ion. DAVIS had
shut off steam, aud he applied the brakes IN des-
perars effort to stop the train, but The moment IN
of the locomotive aud five loaded cars could not D,
overcome in time Vita rapidly dccrea stag spaej.
until the man disappeared under the loco,
motive There was vr 1runonlns s0Iha
brakes on the wheels as the locomotive
slowly came to stop opposite the MIDDLE OF the
platform. Davis aud Wood Jumped OIL The loco
motive, and the GRO vi on the plItfor rus led for
ward. Hundreds OF persons on the train knew at
once that an accident had ha 'peaei, and they be-
came much excl ed.
train. the locomotive. the tender ard the forward
trucks of the car having passed over him One
foot had been off and some OF the small bones IF
HIS leg below the knee had been 1oppei to pieces.
The pieces fell TO tho street b,low. DIS head was
brlIsed aud there was cut under MS CHA whers
the ash-pan OF the l0com)ily had struck III n. he
was alive but Insenslble when he was dragged OuG
from under the nd carried TO the porters room
on the east side or the tracks
THE ENGINEER AND FIREMAN ARRESTED.
Policeman Moran, of the East FIfty-frst-st.
squad, ran up from the street and arrested Davis
and Wood but not wishing to delay rayel on the
road he rode with them 70 the South Ferry Station
and back to- SNty-seventh-st.. where they
and fireman who had been teegraphed Tor. Al
though 1t was clear taat Davis ana Wood were
RESPONSE We for the injuries to the old Man, they
were held under rule OF the Police Department.
until they could be arralgned at no 10tkyilio 70.
lice Court IN the afternoon. Justice Welde said
that he had no power TO release the men, rs III was
a case for tho coroner He therefore remanded
Engineer DAVIS to tbs custody or the police ana
ordered that Fireman Wood be detained as Wit
ness.
The old man lost a great deal of blool after no
was removed trom the railroad track. and there
was no surgeon az hand to bind up ms won iis. Az
1..ln ~ l,cLr 1'Nulu n
Hospital applied some bandages. bur the stranger
was then diving, and he breathed his last at ll:3a
the afternoon when il was removed to the
Morguo. There nothing in the old mans
pockets to furnish clew to his IDENTITY Bern I'd
NOey. the station master at F'Ity-Sec0nd-St, was
summoned TO Manager Hams office 10 maze re-
port soon after the old man diet.
HIS NAME SEEMS TO BE CALLAH,N
The disco very of the suicides name, which was
found to be Callahan. was made in peculiar man.
ner by Roadmasrer Robert Black of the Manhat-
tan Rllway COMPANY. Nothing about the man
gave any intima'ion OF his name or address, but
after he had been carried III dying condition INTO
the station at Forty-secoud-st.. Mr.. Black,
who had been satisfied as 10 the mans nationally,
be gan repeating over familiar irIsh family names
begin ming with the letter " A." The strangers
windpipe had been severed by the engine wheel SO
that be could not artculate bur he shook his head
as each name was pronounced until the roadmaster
GOT GOWN to aud struck the name of Cal ahan.'
Then the DIVING nan gave ms head
vigorous nod. indicating that iir Black method
General Manager Ham said that the reports ne
han received from the road officials lett no uonDb
that the case was one dellb rate suicide. Calia-
han had reached the platform some time before no
down tram due at the Forty second street station
al 1915 n. IN. arrived. A colored man on the Op-
poslte platform bad seen him standing Just ioar-
teen feet south of the north end OF the platform
holding long conversation with another man.
Then the cOOrcd saw Callahan leave
the other man and 90 down the steps leading TO
the roa iway. He walked a short distance along
the track and then lay down deliberately between
fhar aila lha Ofh m
tended his hand to Callahan, speaking to MN IN
an urgent way as though .importunlng nm 10
change his suicidal intent. Callahan refused the
profered assistance and met his death as already
told.
Engineer Henry A. Davis in his report says
that when he saw the man npon the track
he supposed him to be an employe crossing over
the rail as described by the coored man the en-
gIDeer thinks the engine was within thirty or fory
"When saw HIM go down deliberately upon his
knees says the engineers report apd raise MS
hands as II Ia prayer | blew the whistle and re-
yer>ed the engine. As the man lay down across
the track turned my head away. l telt no jar or
Jolt and only knew positively that the man was
run over by being told after the train stopped"
The report of the fireman corroborates that OF the
engineer all material respects 80
At lai hour last ght the body Of the suicide
was still Mt the MOrRue unidentified. man &C
cOmDanIed by woman dressed III deep mourning
called there between 8 and 10 D. IN. and said hat
they Thought that the man who had commit
ted sulclde might be the woman's missing brother.
They declined 10 give the name or the man whose
body they were in search OF, or their own names,
and after reading a description OF Caliahan went
away without saying whether they recognized 1t
as that of the missing man or not Other persons
called on similar Grand but the body remained
unclaimed.