The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1891-05-22

occurred in this county happened last Sun
day evening at Shepherd. Three prominent
young men of Shepherd had their lives
sacrificed in most careless IL not criminal
manner
Chas. Walling had taken contract to
load several carloads of logs three miles
south of Shepherd. for Owosso parties, and
was furnished a train for the purpose to be
loaded Sunday. BY six o'clock, all but two
loads had been placed upon the cars and the
train pulled up TO the village for supper.
Walling, being anxious to complete his
job, teegraphed to Supt. COnnors for per-
mission to return and load the other two
| ears. This was granted to the great dis
comfort of Conductor Anyway who said he
had been at work since two o'clock i'm the
morning and was tired out and he used some
decidedly unofficial language and even
threatened to get even with Walling in some
way. This was the beginning of the crime.
ANYWAY then telegraphed for time and was
given until $3.50 to get back to Shepherd.
He then asked for protection to his train
and was told that he needed no protection,
as he could leave his loaded cars on the
track at Shepherd within switch limits
| and thus hold possession of the track An
way then ordered the loaded cars to be left
north OF the highway and unlocked four
empty cars and was about to pull out when
the operator called his attention to the fact
that five cars extended beyond the switch
limits and suggested that they be brought
down in the limits. With an oath he de-
clined to do so, and remarked that they
could run into them If they wanted to. This
| was crime number two
Wallings men, who had worked through
| the Whole day, nearly all went to their
homes, saying they would work no more
that day. This necessitated the securing of
other help and as is often the case, there
were number of spectators at the depot
| and to these he offered fifty cents each if
they would go and help, and number ac
cepted.
| About nine o'clock log train from the
north came into Mt. Pleasant and received
orders to run to Shepherd. Nearing that
| place. the engineer saw the lights of the
cars in the yard, but supposed them to be
on the switch and went laundering around
the curve and down the grade-he says at
twelve miles an hour and those who live up
| the track say much faster than freights are
usually run over this section of the road.
| Five car lengths outside of switch limits is
| almost to the sharp curve and had the en-
| gineer these five car lengths, he might pos
| sibly have checked his train and saved thou
! sands of dollars to his company, the lives
| of four men and untold misery to their
| families and to those injured.
He did not check his train. He and the
! fireman jumped for their lives. His engine,
| enforced by the momentum of several car
loads of logs, struck the caboose of the
standing train and pulverized it, then plow-
| ed its way through four carloads of logs,
throwing them right and left, and complete
ly demolishing the cars. 1t then overturned
| against the coal kilns, a complete wreck
hot ~
The cars not injured, with brakes not set,
were put in motion by the collision and
were soon moving rapidly down the heavy
grade toward the river.
In the meantime, Walling had finished
loading and the engine with its four cars,
two loaded, one having few logs and one
empty were backing up to the village.
The night was extremely dark and objects
could not be seen few feet away. The
train was backing up at a very rapid speed
and Walling cautioned ANYWAY, saying that
it was not safe to ,un so fast, Anyway told
Walling to go to hell, that he was running
that train. Another tinge of crime.
A few minutes after came another fearful
crash, unlocked for and uneXplainable to
the men of whom there were seventeen and
nearly all on the car having but few logs
eli it. On these the men sat. The men
and logs were hurled through the air in all
directions. The car they were on broke in
the middle and fell across a carload of logs.
The other two cars went down the bank
into pool of water just south of the river.
One of the latter fell upon Clark K.
Struble, disemboweling him and crushing
him into the water. Zebuon Bigelow lay
in the water near the body of Struble with
the back of his head crushed, probably by a
log. Sherwood Clark lay little farther
| away with his head crushed beyond SEM
blance of human being, two logs near by
| having done the work.
Chas. Walling was knocked insensibe
| and was badly bruised about the head and
| shoulders. Conductor ANYWAY was as badly
| injured and it was thought both would die.
The following were injured more or less
about the head and shoulders: Lewis Cole,
| Oliver Ferrall, Amos Pickett, Chas. Hunt
| ington, Geo. Starr and the brakeman,
| Squiers, of Owosso. Jay Struble a. Ryder,
| Frank Hartwell, John Kennedy, IL. Bige-
| low and James Wilson were hurt on limbs
| and but slightly
| Ed. Kelley, who had been helping load
| the logs, drove by soon after the collision
| and seeing the wreck ran his horses into
| town and gave the alarm to the citizens,
| most of whom had retired, by ringing the
| church bells.
| darkness to get the body of Struble released.
The dead were taken to the town hall and
| the coroner summoned The injured were
| mostly cared for in the farm houses.
Daylight dawned upon the village and
| awoke it from its horrible nightmare.
a coroner's jury was empannelled and
they are slowly gathering evidence, but it
adjourned yesterday for one week.
Bigelow was single man, % years old.
Struble was 81 years old, and leaves
wife and two children.
Clark was "a years old and had been mar
ried only year.
Pending the investigation, comments on
the finding the jury are withheld.
ID. Carr, the brakeman left in the cabOose.
is in the county Jail, on the charge of man
slaughter, it is said.
Note-The charges made against ANYWAY
are denied by persons who claim to know
the facts.-Ed. TIMES.
| have had nasal catarrh for tan yaarQ en-