The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1889-01-08
He Gets His DOT Caught Between
Two Rails and Meets Death
Instantly.
A COrOner's Inquest Held This
Morning, and a Verdict
Returned by a Jury.

able young man Ernest j. Small, who
met his death at 7:15 last evening. in
the discharge of bis duty as a con-
ductor on the Missouri, Kansas IL
Texas railway. Mr.. Small was the
son of DR.. and Mrs. A. V. Small,
of this city, and has been en-
ployed by the railroad company for
two or three years. He
left Sedalia about 4 O'Clock yesterday
afternoon, in charge of freight train
No. 512, north-bound, and left Boon
vile at 6:35 p. m. At Franklin, just
beyond the Boonville bridge, he was
doing some switching, and while in
the act of pulling the coupling pin be-
tween the caboose and an empty car
ahead of it, his foot was caught be-
tween the switch rail and the track
rail, and he was forced down. Two
cars and one pair of trucks on the
third one passed over his body, killing
him instantly.
THE CoRoNER's INQUEST.
As soon thereafter as was possible,
the railroad officials here we're notified
and at 10:40 last evening. Under.
taker Hills went to Franklin and
took charge of the body. 1t was
brought to this city this morning, and
taken to Mr.. Hilliss, where it was
viewed by large number of people.
Constable Ramsey soon had a cOro.
ner's jury impaneled, and after being
sworn, and having seen the remains,
the coroner adjourned to the court
room, where the Witnesses were exam
ined, and the following testimony ad.
duced:
J. L. PARISH
being sworn, said he was the engineer oil
the train BY which the deceased was killed.
We left Boonville at 6:S5 p. m. yesterday.
Small said he had a Car next to the caboose
TO set out at Franklin We stopped at
Franklin. He got of the caboose near the
north switch of the house track and sig
nailed me to pull ahead. l pulled ahead
10 the passenger switch and was signaIed
to back down. did so and stopped again.
After standing a few moments the fireman
told me that Small was killed. He started
to the rear of the train on the run and /
followed him. When i got to the rear /
found Conductor Small lying on his right
the rail with his left hand over his
head. He was about eighteen feet from the
switch block. His shoe was found about
six feet from the switch block. He had
evidently caught it in the switch guard.
Two cars loaded with cattle had passed
over his body, and the trucks of third
car. He was dead when found him.
The train that we were pulling was No.
512. The engine is No. 500. think that
his foot was caught between the rails. There
were small bits of flesh scattered along for
a distance of twelve feet, from the shoe to
the body.
JAMES BERRY
testified that he was firemeJ on the train.
When we left Boonville Mr. Parish, the
engineer, said we he'd some switching to do
at Franklin. We got signal to stop and
then back up. We backed up three or
four car lengths and got a signal to stop
and we stopped. saw q brakeman COM
ing toward the engine and | supposed We
had car of the track. He said Small
was killed and / took lantern and ran
back TO the rear of the train. Small was
lying on his right shoulder with his neck
across the rail. He was dead when | got
to him. We backed up slow. 1t
was about the second trip we had ever
pulled Mr.. Small. ] saw the shoe on the
track. The other shoe was on his foot. We
IL h -o,n.-l L.
nal to back UP. 1t was about 7:05 in the
evening. The train consisted of about 20
Or q cars, some of them empties. 1t was
not full train.
ED. wITHERs
testified that he was a brakeman on Con-
Vile. Mr.. Small told me he had orders to
set out all the empty box cars In the train
at Franklin. He said to me, "you pull the
pins, and will stay at the switch, for the
head man don't know the road"
when he went to cut loose the csboose he
told me 10 get up in the caboose and he
would pull the pin and throw the switch.
[ got in the caboose and the train stopped.
and he gave signal on the freman's side
to 60 ahead, and before got out of the
caboose they had started. L ran along be-
hind the train and Small was hanging to
the side of the rear car. He dropped off
at the switch and gave the signal to stop.
He started to pull the pin and hallooed
at him that would catch that car. II
don't know whether he heard me or not.
He went on to pull the
pin and | stopped at the switch,
He commenced to stumble over the tracks
first on the inside and then the outside.
His foot slipped of the end of a tie and
his other foot went inside and caught be- /,
tween the rails. gave the signal to stop
and ran toward the engine shouting as
loud as could to stop. / told the en-
yineer and fireman that Small was killed,
as had seen the cars run over him. We
all walked back together. He was lying