The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-12-04
|pENNED In BY DEATH.
Darius Horton Killed by q De-
scending Elevator.
us BODY BENEATH THE CAGE.
sss Accident Due to His Attempting to
on wheels In the Well--He Died
without Uttering . Sound.

perus Horton, the superintendent of the
gtv York building a. the northeast corner Of
rasrry and Second streets, was killed yesterday
- beiuy crushed under the elevator In the
h..,t of the busiest par: OF the city, within half
= hour OF noon, he WAS killed after a few mo.
rsu,s Of sgonizing suspense which can only be
imagined io., 80 isr a. xnowns no cry ever e.
apsd his lips.
ur. Horton, who was a cousin OF Dexter Hor.
mn the owner Of the building, had general
eaaree Of the building. In accordance with his
s,cal cus,on,. abou; noen he relieved Joseph
mis-. The elevator boy, SO that he might 60 to
n, lunch. The boy returned at 1880, Or few
minutes later, aud running up the steps past
IA Cenmerciai National bank entrance, has
tsued into the elevator cage and tried to push
hsek the door, which was partly open, in order
n LET man get in VINO wanted TO go to an upper
etoys. lady in black Immediately afterward
yent up the steps 10 go toward the elevator, and
n the sane moment Mr. Aquiila Cove special
sseu. Of the Farmers Insurance Company, rang
The bell on the third story ior the elevator tn as
eerd
Ellis stopped to see what was checking the
door, AID saw the arm of a man sticking up
from under tae elevator. He started back with
n exclamation OF horror: the man in the cape
stepped out, and looking down said to the lady:
s0a, there's q man killed under the elevator"
She screamed, and this brought down Mr..
Cove Ms. Horton, the wife of the uufor.urfats
nan. and els daughter, Miss Rite, quickly fol.
loved By others.
An attempt wss madc to move the elevator.
bu. it seemed wedgcd. AMI the people cried to
the can underneath, but Ae made no reply,
The elevator was then cautiously raised and
the body OF Da-ras Horton was seen, ~ If he had
been sQuatting. The elevator had crushed his
bead down in between his shoulders, and a the
nod VAS released IL fell back ward
0nicer John Kelly and others. drawn by the
piercing shrieks OF Mrs. Horton, rushed In, and
the oihcer led her up to the Office oil Mrs. Dr.
Dean. Dr. Sweeney had arrived, and under his
direction the limp and iiielcss body was gently
lifted and laid upon the floor. His lace was
black, his ear torn and mis- face bruised, aud his
back seemed to be broken. The body was in
decd almost lifted by the clothes, so crushed
vas the mass.
Nobody can tell how it happened, but the
most rational theory II that Mr.. Horton had
stopped the cage about two or three feet from
the bottom OF the well. and then swung himself
under to oil some OF the wheels. The bottom,
which is about two ieet below the floor, 10 q
hlse bottom. for the purpose Of preventing any
body falling. In it il q trap door which IL es-
pecally contrived to admit of reaching the bot.
tom OF the cage from below. This was closed
whether the cage had not been securely
shocked and had gently slid down upon tie poor
man, or In attempting to raise il he had turned
the ieyer-whose action underneath 10, of
course, the reverse OF that in the cage-the
wrong way, can never be known. The ponder
Gus weight sank down upon him and crushed
bis life out as he sat in the well. 1t could not
have taken many seconds, and nobody in the
building heard cry.
The body was taken to the morgue and the
eoronsr sent for. DR.. Horton was in court, but
came down as quickly as possible. but when he
learned who the victim was, he became too
much affected to attempt to ascertain the ma
sure Of the inquiries. The doctor 10 q half
spusin Of Darius Horton. Dexter Horton was
srmmoned; he inquired as to the circumstances,
md directed that the elevator be closed.
Darius Horton was cousin of Dexter Horton
md Julius Horton, and was about so years OF
xe He had been in Seattle for some time and
only syear ago married his present wife, a COM
positively young woman. He has by former
marriage son, Charles, about % years OF age
who lives at Brooklyn, and a daughter, Rittie,
about Il or Is. He was a strong, well-built man
with massive head and a full dark brown
beard. He was well known in Seattle, and was
sqniet man who attended very strictly TO his
duties. He lived in the building with bis wife
and daughter, and had left them but a few
minutes when the accident happened His
family suffer not only from bereavement. but
she awful shock.
An inquest will be held on Monday, and the
funeral will probably take place on Tuesday
He lies in the morgue side by side with Thomas
Henderson Boyd.
Mr. Horton was q member of John F. Miller
post, also of the United Workmen, Golden
Shore, Knights of Honor. Modern Woodmen
and three or four other orders During the four
years he was in Seattle he was always identified
with Dexter Horizons interests. His widow was
formerly Mrs. Evans, and he met her in Cali
tornia