Omaha daily bee., 1889-01-28
DEATH OF RICHARD KIMBALL.
The Dummy Finds Another Victim
at the Transfer
AN OLD RESIDENT OF OMAHA.
Shocking Manner i'm Which the End
of Busy Life Came-SorrOw
I'm This City-The
Inquest.



tion was received at The BEE Office that a
man had been instantly killed at the
transfer in Council B lufrs. 1t was later an
nounced that the victim had been resident
of Omaha, and still later n message gave the
name of the unfortunate as Richard Kim
ball
The news spread to every open place in
the town, because the unfortunate gentleman
was known to hundreds of people who, not
withstanding the severity of the weather and
the rest which Sunday suggests, were, at
the hour mentioned, upon the streets or
within easy reach of the melancholy tidngs.
The dummy which leaves this side at 5l5
o'cloc bore to the scene of the accident a
numb ,r of the friends of the deceased. One
of these, after arriving in tine Bluffs and as
certaining that the information was but too
true, tele graphed ID. \. Mount in this city to
inform Mrs kimball Of the fate of her hus-
band
The Omaha friends Of Mr.. Kimball, on
nlighting from the train, met DIR. J. G. Wat
erman and were by him conducted to a small
Union Pacific carpenter shop, in which, upon
n hastily improvised bier, lay the
remains Of Mr.. Kimball. A gray blanket
covered them, though, when temporarily
removed, IT revealed sight, a description
columns.
A dozen people, mainly Union Pacific men,
were admitted to the shop and stood around
while the inquest was held. The jurors
were j. II. Spare, foreman of the cleaning
department of the Union Pacific at the trans
fer: "R. Morgan and Max Cheney
also in the employ OF the same company.
Coroner Waterman had selected the jury
md w r. Ransom, clerk of the superintend-
ent of the Nebraska division, acted as clerk
and recorded in long hand the evidence of
the witnesses. Of the latter there were but
two.
that he and Mr. Kimhall had left Omaha on
the 3:15 dummy, and had gone to the Union
Pacific ice house near the track, and had eX-
amined the same. The witness and de-
ceased, as also members of their company,
were under contract to supply the Union Pa
cifc with ice, the amount of which could
be stored in the company's house being
about five million pounds. After
they had finished their business they
started to the yards to catch the dummy
going west. They ran out of the yards,
which are surrounded by high fence and
then northwest toward the train.
They went up the walk, when the witness
said: "Dick, the dummy is pulling out l
don't think we can catch it, Well have to
wait for the next train" Kimball said
Gwen run and see if we can't catch it,
"Hc grabbed the rail of the car in the
front part. 1t was the second car and
grip and fell under the wheels"
The witness then testified to several other
features which had little bearing on the case
when the member OF the jury asked him If
the accident had happened at a regular stop
ping place for trains. He replied that it was
just little west of the transfer.
Continuing the witness said that Mr.. Kim
ball had fallen on the track and wheels of
two coaches had passed over him. Witness
did not see anybody on platform.
William Norris. Pullman porter the
Union Pacific road, who resides at 93l ave-
nue. ID had come from home to report for
duty to 60 to Ogden. AT the transfer he got
off the 8 :52 dummy going west and started
for the railroad yards. He saw two gentle
men run to catch the dummy for Omaha
One was middle aged young man, the other
an old man. The old man endeavored to
catch the forward end of the second coach
rails. The other man was about ten feet
from him and when he got to the older man
that individual lost his hold and fell towards
the train knocking down the younger man as
he fell. The train dragged the older gentle
man about one and half car lengths.
Several questions were asked the witness
by the jurors, one Of which was rs to how
fast the train was going. The answer was
eight miles per hour. Witness was also
nsked whether Mr.. Kimball had fallen or
stumbled over cinders by the track, and ans
wercd yes" He was also asked if
/ tnere were anybody upon une
! platform, and to this he gave a negative
reply.
The jury returned ana after a short de-
kliberation returned q verdict that Mr. Kim
Ebell had come to his death while attempting
to board train while in motion, and they
could find no blame attaching to the Union
Pacific railroad company.
The remains were then turned over to
Coroner Drexel and brought to this city.
They are now at the undertaking rooms
of Drexel & Maui, Farnam street, where
they will probably remain until the day of
the funeral, when they may be taken for
short time to the late residence of the de-
ceased, 700 South Seventeenth street.
Last night, after the sad news had been
conveyed to Mrs. Kimball that her husband
had been accidentally injured, number of
sympathetic friends visited the lady
with q view of breaking to her as gently as
but imperfectly conveyed to her by Mr.. ID.
Il. Mount.
Their services. however, were not APP
preciated, because instinctvely the bereaved
lady devined that her husband had met with
q fatal accident. With this belief she
wandered through the halls and parlors
OF her residence refusing all offers of assist
ance and listening TO none Of the words of
coincidence which her friends were disposed
TO, speak to her.
MIR. Kimball was born in Sullivan county
New York, in 1926. He moved with his
father and mother in 1881, to what
Is now known as Ottawa, H., where
he lived for some years on u farm. When
about sixteen years Of age he and his uncle
for about two years ran a saw mill, later ro-
turning to the farm and again going back 10
the lumber business, this time associatng
himself with his uncle George and remain
ing with him about eighteen months
He afterwards went to Green Bay
and engaged in the logging and
numbering business, in which he remained
about eight years, being later joined by his
uncle, and continuing until the year lS55.
He then came to Omaha, engaging IN Che
livery business on Eleventh street, between
Harvey and Howard. In 1857 hn started
saloon, still remembered by some of
the older settlers as the "Cross
Keys" In 1889. he went to Colo
rado with Captain Moore, uhd Jim Allen,
who at that time was proprietor of the hotel
at Bellevue. In the fall OF 1850 he returned
to La Platte. The following spring he and
his brother chartered the ferry NJ that place.
Still later the deceased bought farm from
Philander Cook, which he worked for six or
seven years, then coming to Omaha he
traded his farm with William Mills
for an ice and boarding house. He after
wards sold these out, and in the spring of
1877 went 10 the Black Hills, where he
tablished a stamp mill His uncle here left
him and Kimball returned 10 Omaha In the
fall. In 1878 he went into partnership with
Martin Durham in the ice business. Mr..
kimbal, as may be seen from the