Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1891-09-17
CHILD CRUSHED TO DEATH.
A LITTLE GIRL KILLED In A
WATER MAIN TRENCH.
Dreadful Death, and john
ME SOuder Crus he'd.


year-old daughter of John Shaw, was
instantly killed, and the little five year.
old Johnnie Souder, son CT Alonzo
Souder, was fatally crushed.
Superintendent Timothy Woodruff,
of the Water Department. has been
laying water mains on North Laurel
street, which runs in to Brady q Co.'s
canning factory, and yesterday COM
menced, with his gang of workmen, to
Gig trench on German avenue, for
laying water pipe up that street.
They had progressed with the dig.
ging to more than half way across
from Laurel street to Chestnut avenue,
when wishing to get North Laurel
street, or the turnpike, which it really
is, in good shape, he withdrew his
men from the trench to assist in wa
tering the fresh embankment made on
Laurel street.
AS soon as the men left, some little
children got down in the trench to
play, by chasing up and down in it;
side of the trench caved in and little
Sadie Shaw was covered up with the
dirt at the bottom of the trench, and
little Johnnie was buried up to his
neck.
His screams attracted Jesse Daniels,
a boy, and his mother, Mrs. William
Daniels, and John Mckinney rushed
to the spot.
Rufus Watkins and others were
soon there, and the little boy was
quickly liberated and carried away.
The people were congra ulating them
selves upon getting the little boy out,
as they thought, comparatively un-
hurt, when, as they were carrying him
away he said "you ought to get Sadie
out, she is under the dirt
Then a new horror seized the people
and the dirt was soon flying from the
spades. The little lifeless body of Sa-
die was found beneath the cruel clods.
1t was carried TO the home of the
parents on German avenue, and John
ME was taken to his mothers home
on Chestnut avenue, not far away.
Coroner Bellows was at once noti-
fed and docter sent for. A Pro
NEER reporter had previously reached
the spot and witnessed the sad scenes.
Superintendent Woodruff was over
whelmed with grief at the sad occur
renee, and said it was the first acci.
| dent he had met with during his four
teen years of service.
to the little boy, but he thought the
child was fatally hurt. The first i'm
pressions, however, fortunately proved
erroneous, and the little boy, though
badly crushed by tie weight of the
dirt, was not fatally hurt, and few
hours after was found to be all right.
The little girl was a very pretty
child, and was the joy and pride of
her parents, poor people, who were
heart broken by the terrible blow
which had fallen upon them. The
father gave vent to his grief in loud
means, while the mother in silence
smothered her grief in her own heart.
When the Coroner began to ask her
questions about the little one, she had
to swallow glass of water before
she could command her voice enough
to make an utterance. Sadie was the
baby and the flower of the family.
She was four years old the 10th of last
month, the mother said, and three
times she had brought her away from
the trench, where she persisted in
wanting to play. The family has the
sympathy of the community.
Coroner Bellows empanelled jury
this morning and visited the scene of
the accident, and the house of the pa
rents and viewed the body. The fol-
lowing composed the jury. VIM. }.
Moore, Foreman; John F. Johnson, F.
b. Minch, D. P. Mulford, Jr., John s.
Watson, Samuel Steinmc'z, G. G
Grosscup, VIM. Steward aud Elmer
MiXner
After viewing the body the inquest
was adjourned until Monday morning
at o'clock.
THE INQUEST.
The Coroner's inquest into the cause
of the death of Sadie Shaw, who was
smothered ia a water-pipe trench last
Thursday afternoon, was concluded
Monday morning. The jury met in the
Council chamber at o'clock. Coroner
Bellows called William Mack as the
first witness, who detailed how the
little girl was dug out, but he did not
see how the dirt was caused to cave;
the little boy, Johnnie Souder, had
been extricated before his arrival a.