The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1891-01-31
A ON THE RAIL.
A DcplcrabIe and Fatal Accident
West of Lexington.
Wr. Thomas Rulings, AN ola ana
Respected CiIiZen OF WELL
IngIon, KtIIed by the
Tram.

A most dcplorable accident, resulting in the
death of MIR. Thomas w. Ridinhs. n highly
esteemed citizen of Wellington. occurred
about one milo west Of that town last Tues
day morning.
The details of the horrible affair as CLEANED
BY an lnt"lIigrncer reporter. who WAS early
on Tho ground, are as follows:
Mr.. Ridings, IN cOmpany with John Nalen-
tine and J. -. Roberts. started TO Mr.. Rid
ings' farm. As the track OF The Missouri
Pacific railway Afforded good walking and the
shortest route they chose that. When they
bod gone about a mile, Messrs. Valentine and
ttUherts, who were about seventy yards in
advance Of Mr.. Rulings. heard The morning
iraiu-thc st. Louis express coming up the
road. They Immediate halloed To MIR. Rulings,
who was = lille deaf and was wearing II
handkerchief over his ears, 10 ''lOok out"
that ''Ihr train wss rcming!' just AZ they
warned him deceased bad started to cross u
! thirty foot trc>tle, which at this point spans u
ravinr. Turning his head he saw the train
coming down The grade al swift speed, and
attempted ny running to cross the ircstle
before il reached him..
Vain cndravOr. Ere he had crossed one
third the way the great 10 :omoIve was upon
him. The pilot striking him Just below tho
knees, hurled him into the AIR, then caught
him ~ hc tell. and dragged him head dow
To the Distance of nearly thirty yards, scat
lrring his blood ana brains along the side Oi
the lrsck, mingling his head III Il fearful.
manner. When hi, former companions
reached MIN he was already dead, and II was
II sickPniug sight they gazed upon. His head
WAS almost severed from the body. the bach
portion OF il vas all bruised and mangled ,anG
his two legs broken at The ankle.
Carefully the remains were carried 10 tho
| residence Of his son-in-law. Mr.. ii. Il. COrse
where steps were at once taken for MI In
q urSt. Dr. SIruughD OF this city, the county
coroner, WAS notified and was soon at The
scene Of the accident. A jury composed Of
Thomas Chinn, u. f.. Chinn, ". +. Purcell
j. A. Workman, Jas. Crutsinger, with JOSH
Mann as fore man, was summoned and thu
examination began. After viewing the re
mains. listened to the testimony OF Mr.
RidIngs' Two companions. Their statements
concurred in every particular and was a.
follows:
Jonn Valentine, being sworn, says:-Tues
day morning Mr.. Thomas Rldings, j.. b
Roberts and myself left wellington to 60 L
the farm owned by Rulings, about three
miles west OF WellIngton; we walked up thu
track OF the Mo. Z. railroad; after walking
up The track about One-and-a-quarter milei
we came To a trestle some thirty feet long
over u hollow eight or ten feet deep; Roberts
and | were seventy. five yards ahead OF Rid
ings; had reached the point where the county
road crosses the railroad; heard the engine
which was eighty rods away, whistle FOR thu
road crossing; | SAID to Roberts, there's tn,
train coming" and looking back We saw Rid
iBgs just stepping on the %trestle; we hallOet
to him that the train was coming and to lOOi
out or he would be caught; he looked bacl
and then started TO run; train was about lO'
yards from HIM when he looked back; trail
WAS coming around curve, on down grade
whiStlin2, which WAS kept up until the engln'
struck SIdings; saw him struck; he wa
nearly tw0-thirds Of the way across the tres
tie when he was struck by the engine; trail
ran GbOnt 100 wards after striking him; ION
know whether or not An effort was made {
check train before il struck him; train drag
ged him 100 yards over the ties.
Upon this testimony the jury returned
verdict Of accidental killing.
1t was "a heartrending scene when the bod
was brought into the household, which h
had left 4 few hours before in health an
yigOr, and bitter were the tears OF sgopy she
over the kind old father, whose loving heal
was stilled forever.
Mr. Rulings was a native of n. Carolins
ieIug born there 10 lS22. When still \ yOun
man he came to 81 issonri. where he has sine
lived. He has been twice married. Ills irt
wife was Sarah u. Wood, his second Mar
Svink, To these two wives six children wei
born, to-wlt: Mary, wife Of DIR. Z. 5. Fulke
, son, of Lexington, Ann E., wife Of H..
=, Corse. Of Wellington. Thomas and Mary. Il
latter being by his second wife. and Alice al
Jesse, now dead. Deceased was highly e
iermod bv all who knew him.