Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-05-22
NET A FEARFUL DEATH.
CAPTAIN COULTER KILLED By ]
MONTANA CEErRAL EEGIsE.


I~1jured-The Accident Witnessed by
Several of His Friends. who Try to
Warn Him, But Too Late--His Death
1t Helena Monday Night.
A thrill of horror ran through the com
munity shortly after Z O'Clock Monday
night when an annoucementgained currency
Captain Coulter, recently city marshal. had
been frightfully injured by thec cars while ON
his way to Helena, and that in all proba-
bilities he would die.
But q short time elapsed until the report
was confirmed by Official dispatches re-
ceived by Mr.. Dawson, agent OF the Mon
tana Central, on whose road the accident
occurred, and the Office vas crowded by
friends of the unfortunate man, who were
anxious to gain all possible information
relative to the sad affair. Mr.. Shelby, gen.
eral manager of the road, sent a brief
account of the accident. and also stated
This dispatch a received at ten
minutes to nine O'Clock. At a quarter past
nine THE MINER receivrd a special saying
that Captain Coulter had just died at st.
Peters hospital, to which he was taken
upon arrival of the train at Helena on
board OF which he was placed after the
aeeident.
FULL PARTICULARS.
In addition to the above dispatch and
before its receipt, the following account of
the accident vas received by THE MINER
from it's Helena correspondent who OBJ
tanned particulars from an eye witness to
T the affair:
~. e. Coulter met with a frightful acct
dent at 5:52 O'Clock this afternoon, which
viii cost him his life. At this writing the
unfortunate man is still alive, but his
heart is failing and pulse futterinQ, and
DR.. Sigh, the attending physician, says he
cannot live longer than half an hour. Mr..
Coulter was struck by the pilot head OF
engine No. IL, of the Manitoba and Mon.
tana CeDtrals- Pacific express. The scene
OF the distressing occurrence was at Wins
low. q station one mile south of Alhambra,
where the Montana Central local train,
east bound, was waiting on a switch for
the Pacific express to pass.
John McMurray, who was an eyewitness
to the accident, gave your correspondent
the following details:
when the train stopped at Winslow I
jumped off and crossed down the embank-
ment, where l noticed some peppermint
growing. After I secured some OF it, Mr..
Coulter. who in company with John T..
Driseoll, OF Butte, was on the rear plat
form OF the rear car, asked me for some of
the peppermint, which he said be rreatly
admired, and said, 4 guess I'll
get some of hat myself; it is
the finest I ever saw, / then pointed out
to him where he could find some, and we
both began picking. Soon the approach
ing train hove in sight and Mr.. Coulter said
to me-, There she comes.' I Immediately
walked over to our train and as / reached
it Mr.. Driscoll called out, Get q gait on
you, Coulter to which he replied, 4 am
all right. I'll get there
He had his hand full OF peppermint and
slowly walked up the embankment. In the
meantime l had boarded our platform and
two or three voices shouted to Coulter,
"'FoR cons SAKE. LOOK oUr.'
81 threw up both hands aid called to
him to 60 back. He never looked at the
approaching train, as he did not realize
it was 80 close to him. As I called to him
he looked up and simultaneously the pilot
head struck him. The feeling that came
over all of us was terrible. / saw the poor
hurled about twenty feet from where |
he stood, and his hat vas thrown into an |
adjoining field. Assoon as the train passed |
by / rushed to him and called out:
COULTER. CAN o SPEAK,"
sBut he could not. His head hung down
against his breast, while blood oozed from
bis ears, mouth and nose, and he lookeat
the picture OF death. He was insensible
and never knew what was the matter.
"He vas carrien to the baggage car and a
mail sack did service as a pillow. For
FULLY twenty minutes he did not move, but
be gradually began to breathe as freely as
be could; his right eye was open all the
time, but he knew nothing. Immediately
under his eye and extending as far as Che
bar was a frightful cash, while Lis mouth
and jaw, extending to the upper cash were
crushed to a jelly. In the course OF half ali
hour
HE MOVED HIS LEFT ARM
put his hand on his bloody face. He
showed signs OF returning consciousness,
those around him concluded he was
fatally injured.
"A doctor was in waiting at Helena, and
rs the train reached that point the suffer
ngs OF the man seemed to increase. and
lis agonizing means were h~eartrending.
put he never spoke, as he could not utter
word il he had tried, and was not con-.
'cious of anything, at any time. He vas
.arried to the Sisters hospital, where Drs.
,ligh and Treacy attended him. Ether
vas applied to relieve his pain, when the
lature Of his injury was investigated.
"The suptoir maxillary was crushed and
he base Of the skull fractured. NothinzI
be done for him, said DR.. High, in
'hicE DR.. Treacy concurred. The pa~tient's
was heard, but the heart was
ailing fast. DR.. High remained with the
man throughout"
BIOGRAPHICAL.
Captain Coulter was about As years old
nd came to Butte a little over four years.
90. During the first three years of his
'sidence be was employed as engineer att
Gagnon mine and resigned to accept
he Office OF city marshal under MayorI
.amilton's administration, continuing tol
old the position until a few weeks ago.
hen Mayor Kenyon succeeded Mr.. Hamil.
IN. Last winter he was appointed deputy -
inc inspector by Governor Leslie, and he
as on his way to Helena to qualify as r
lch officer when overtaken by the fright
! calamity which cost him his life.
Prior to his arrival at Butte he resided
T a number of years in Nevada, princi-
lily at Virginia and Carson City and for
ar years was deputy United States mar.
al and warden of the penitentiary at CF
'rson, and filled both positions with
'dit. and retired with an excellent record Co
a faithful, conscientious and honorable
icer, asimilar record he made while mar. WI
al OF this city and he had the rare honor an,
i'd him of receiving a unanimous vote oil eas
anks OF the city council upon his retire i'm
mt from Office. m,
Deceased was q native OF Maine, but OF ~,
at place could not be ascertained last ~
mt, and served as a soldier in one of the
regiments furnished by that
tie during the war. He was a member
the G.. A. E., Patriotic Order Sons of nj,
lerica, and was also a Mason and an Ire,
member of the Washington Guards. wol
Ie leaves a wife and five children and one
stepsons, the children of his wife by a INC
mer marriage. His Oldest son, Clyde, 21 me,
rs OF age, is employed in Maillet's store, hin
4 left for Helena on a freioht train Of III he q