The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1891-10-29
Four Dead, a Score Hurt.


A frightful accident occurred O n the
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy main
line two miles from Monmouth, ILL.,,
when the Omaha and Denver fast express
crashed into an open switch, instantly
killing four persons and seriously injur-
ing score or more of others The fol-
lowing are the killed:
George Courtney, foreman of engineers.
A A. Emery, engineer
Mrs. George Allen of Lamont, Iowa.
Z. A. Johnson, of Avon, I'll.
The following persons were seriously
injured:
w. P. Anderson, engine fireman, of Gales
burg, ILL.,; scalded and bruised.
John Burner, aged 40, Forreston, ILL.,,
married; lost left arm.
L. j. Kirby, 81 years OF age, unmarried.
stock dealer. of Lenox. Iowa; left arm off.
s. w. Cooper, aged 36, Corning, Iowa;
scalp wound and hand injured.
Louis Wigers, of Oakland, Neb., aged 81;
bruised on left side.
Agnes Miller, aged 20, Brookfeld, Ohio;
cut over left eye
The following persons were slightly
injur, d:
James Miller, Brookfeld, Ohio, aged AZ;
right arm slightly bruised
Catherine Miller, Brookfeld; arm bruised.
Mrs. Catherine Corus, aged 60, Murray,
Iowa; left eye and face slightly bruised.
e. S. Mcdonald, aged AZ, South Milford,
Ind; clavicle fractured.
Elizabeth ]. Mcdonald his mother, aged
"a; injury to left shoulder
E, Rowe, Shenandoah, Iowa, aged so;
hand cut and leg hurt
Forest Rowe, his son, aged 10; head
slightly hurt.
jeremiah CAVITY, Glenlyon, Pa. shoulder
and head slightly cut.
Nate Peters, 1923 Helzlin avenue, Chica-
go; shoulder slightly bruised.
Oscar Zimmerman, aged Sc, Monmouth,
ILL.,; hand cut by glass.
J.. S. Bricher, aged 25, High Greek, Iowa;
scalp wound.
Mrs. A. G. Swope aged "A, Harrisburg,
Pa. slight leg bruise.
A. 9. Swope, aged AZ, Harrisburg, Pa.
slightly bruised.
bruise.
E. D. Evans, Genesee, Wis; right Shout
der injured
James Farrell, New London, Iowa; slight
cut in head.
James Scarborough, aged As, Monmouth;
slight cut.
P. E. Nelson, Anacortes Wash; head
badly cut.
The wonder is that hundred lives
were not lost, for the train of ten cars
was heavily loaded and the destruction
of the coaches, with the exception of
two sleepers, is complete.
No. S, the Inflated train, was made up
of two sleepers, three chair cars, one
smoker, one baggage car one express
and two mail cars. Many of the passen-
gers were Chicagoans, but, strange to
say, not one seriously injured is from
that city.
The train had been running at high
rate of speed when, with ut moments
warning, it was hurled off the rails and
into the empty freight cars standing on
the side track. All the cars except two
SleeeperS 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
Shortly after the accident Superin-
tendent Wilson and Super ntendent Rice
with force of assistants arrived and
began caring for the hurt. All those
who were able to be moved were taken
by Mr.. Wilson to Burlington, where he
will have them cared for.
The company states that the ca 1se of
the accident was the malicious dssp: ace
ment of the switch leading to the pottery
works Certain it is the open switch
caused the disaster. Nobody knows how
it was opened. Super .ntendent Will
son says seven trains passed over
the line since the switch was
used Yet after the crash one
of the train officials ran to the switch
and found it partly thrown, with the
lock gone and the pin out. The Super
intendent says the switch could aot have
been partly turned and train pass over
it without being deraied. He declares
that to be an impossibility, and states that
the switch was turned between the time
the seventh train passed the switch and
the hour when the express was due. He
belle 7es that some malicious scoundrel
purDosely turned the switch.
George Courtney the travelling engi
n Scr, was on of the Oldest employees of
the road. He boarded the engine and
took seat by the engineer to see how
tn locomotive, which was a brand-new
one, was working. His first work for
the road was done long before the war,
and probably no man on the division
was more popular among the men or
honor d with more confidence by the
company.
When the train left the main track
and started on the siding Engineer
Emery reverse his engine and stuck. to
MS pOSt> Uub Gu0 0uSIAc l0lU VIC UIdCh
after running few feet on the siding,
and all Of the seven cars, with the ex-
ception of the rear one, Pullman sleep
err, went into the d tch. Engineer Enc y,
Trave ing Engineer Courtney and Fire
man Peter Anderson went down with
the engine. The two engineers were
killed instantly and the fireman is prob
ably fatally injured. Those in the
smoking car escaped with their lives.
Standing on the steps of the next car
were two students OF Hedding College.
Frank l.. Johnson, of Avon, and w. r.
Harding, of Abingdon. The jumped,
and johnson was killed by bow on the
head from flying timber. Few on the
train escaped without being cut by broken
glass or badly bruised by being thrown
against seats when the shock came.
AS the train was running behind time
when it reached Galesburg, Conductor
Hughes laughingly blamed the engineer.
Gall right; hold on to your hats this
Tine" replied Emery, as ne pulled the
throttle and started on the ride to his