The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1891-10-29
DASHED TO DEATH.
4 Misplaced switch Causes the Wreck Of
c.. -. = q. Train 1t Monmouth. III
Four Persons Killed and Many Others

4 Misplaced switch Causes the Wreck Of
c., y. = q Train 1t Monmouth. ILL.,
Four Persons Killed and Many Others
Hurt.
MONMOUTH, Ill, Oct. 2s-Four lives
were lost and twenty -four persons were
injured, six seriously, by the wrecking
Of the Omaha and Denver express train
of the C., Il. & Q. road. which crashed
into an open switch here Tuesday
night The dead are:
George Courtney. foreman Of engineers: A.
A. Emery, engineer; Mrs. George Allen, Of
Lamont. Ia: 7. A. johnson, Of Avon, Ill.
The following persons were seriously
injured:
w. r. Anderson engine fireman, OF Gales.
burg Ill. scalded and bruised; John Burner,
Forreston. Ill. married, lost left arm: T. ].
Kirby. unmarried. stock dealer. OF Lenox Ia !.
left arm on; 8. w. Cooper. Corning, Ia. scalp
wound and hand injured; Lewis Wigers, Of
Oakland, Neh. bruised on left side; Agnes
Miller. Brookteld, O.. cut over left eye.
Eighteen others were slightly in
jured. No. 5, the Inflated train. was
made up Of two sleepers. three chair
cars. one smoker, one baggage car, one
express and two mail cars. At
$40 Tuesday night she pulled
out Of Chicago. The train had
been running at high rate of
speed when without moments warn
ing. it was hurled of the rails and into
the empty freight cars standing on the
side track. All the cars except two
slcepers were overturned and COM
pletely ruined. Those passengers who
were not injured were scared out Of
their senses. Women screamed and
tainted, and the cries from among the
debris were frightful.
When the train left the main track
and started on the siding Engineer
Emery reversed his engine and stuck
to his post. but the engine left the
track after running few feet on the
siding. and all of the seven cars, with
the exception Of the rear one. q Pull
man sleeper. went into the
ditch. Engineer Emery, Travel
ing Engineer Courtney and
Fireman Peter Anderson went
down with the engine. The two en-
gincers were killed instantly and the
fireman is probably fatally injured.
Those in the smoking car escaped with
their lives. Standing on the steps OF
the next car were two students of He'd
ding college, Frank L. johnson. of
Avon. and w. R. Harding, of Abing-
don. They jumped and johnson was
killed by . blow on the head from. .
flying timber.
One of the saddest casualties oc-
Cured in the first chair car. George
Allen, his wife and baby were sitting
in the front Of the car when the wreck
occurred. Mrs Allen was thrown
against the window and killed. The
child was hurled across the car. but es-
capped injury. Mr.. Allen was also un-
hurt, but heartbroken by the death OF
his wife.
George Courtney. the travelling en-.
ginesr. was one of the oldest employees
Of the road. Tuesday night he boarded
the engine and took seat BY
the engineer to see how the loco
motive, which was brand new one.
was working. His first work for
the road was done long before the
war. and probably no man on the di-
vision was more popular among the
men or honored with more con-
fidence by the company. There
were some remarkable escapes. Oscar
Zimmerman was pitched through the
window of the smoking car and was
unhurt
The officials Of the road claim that
the accident was caused by the mali
cious displacement Of the switch
at the pottery works. They
say that some miscreant drew Z
pin from the switch at this point.
After the accident the switch was
found partially thrown, with the pin
out. Seven trains, however. had passed
over it ahead Of No since the switch
was last used
On the supposition that the switch
had been foully tampered with two ar
rests were made. One of the prisoners
gave q satisfactory explanation and
was released Tho other, William
Richard Healy, is now in Jail awaiting
the result of the inquest At the time
of the arrest Healy was in the vicinity
of the wreck and his manner created
suspicion.
FATAL WRECK on THE b. 40.
PITTSBURGH, Pa. Oct PA fright
full wreck occurred on the Baltimore &
Ohio railroad near st. Johns station.
20 miles east of Cumberland. Md.
Wednesday afternoon, resulting in the
instant killing of an engineer and FIRE.
man and the injury of four other per-
sons, three of whom will die.