Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-10-15
FOUND HIS MOTHER
Laying on a Cold Slab in the Aorgue,
After Eleven Days Search.
SHE WAS KILLED BY A TRAIN.
A Sons Hunt for Parent Ends at the
Coroner's Office.
A HUSBANDS GRIEF MAY END IN DEATH

An unknown woman found on the Allie
gheny Valley Railroad tracks at Fifty first
street, her right leg severed from the body,
her head badly crushed in the back and sew
eral internal injuries was the record placed
on the invalids' register of the West Penn
Hospital on October4. The woman died an
hour after her arrival, and later was taken
to the morgue.
No one knows who SIZE was It was the
usual daily history of accidental deaths re-
corded in the Coroner's Office. The deputies
and clerks of the Office searched high and
low for proofs of the poor woman's identity,
but none were found. More than 1000 per-
sons visited the morgue in the course of q
week and gazed with eagerness on the dead
form of the old lady. But no one recog-
nized her.
The police were notife in the usual way
to look out for those whose relatives were
missing, but nothing came OF ii. No names
Of missing people were sent in by the
oAicials-no woman was reported missing.
Moved Into the City.
In dwelling on Thirty-seventh street
lives Martin Grunhard. He is the uncle of
A. NJ Rabanus, who moved there recently
from Sharpsburg. With him came his old
mother, Helena Rabanus, 65 years of age.
Her husband stopped at the old homestead
in Sharpsburg, working at his trade of shoe
making. She stayed at Grunhard's house
for about week, and then went home.
She returned about October 1, and remained
with her son for few days
On Tuesday, October 4, Mrs Rabanus
told some members of the family that she
was going to visit her niece. on Coal Hill,
across the river. Three days later the old
woman's husband, who is much older than
his wife, called at 252 Thirty Sc eventh street
to see his wife. He was told that she had
gone to visit her neice, and he rested
easily that night. He told Mrs. Grunhard
before he retired that q heavy load had
been taken off his mind by the knowledge
OF her whereabouts Early in the morning
he sought his son, to whom he said he was
going to visit his wife. When he reached
Coal Hill, he was informed by his niece
that his wife had not been there.
Wandering in Search of His Wife.
The old mans heart dropped for while
as he wondered where his mate for half
century could be. Back to 252 Thirty-seventh
street he wandered to tell the Grunhards
and his son what he had learned from his
niece. Young Rabanus could not even i'm
agine what had become of his mother and
he started out to find her.
From Thirty-seventh street to Mt. WASH
ington, thence to Sharpsburg and back to
the Southside, and then to Phillipsburg he
went, but no trace of the missing woman
could be found. For five days and nights
he walked the streets looking for his
mother. No trace of her could be found;
not even a clew to her whereabouts. Two
more days spent in useless searching, and
the young fellow gave up the chase. But
there was one place he had forgotten to
visit. 1t was the morgue.
Laying on a marble slab, cold and mo-
tionless in death, was the body of the poor
old woman he was looking for. 1t was
Mrs. Helena Rabanus, of Sharpsburg. She
was 65 years of age, and the mother of two
sons and one daughter.
The Husband Overcome by Grief.
Her poor old husband, 81 years of age,
who worried till his aged brain began to
waver, layed down in bed to think of where
his wife could be, and is there yet, perhaps
for the last time. At the morgue lay the
corpse of Mrs. Rabanus until yesterday.
She was identified bv her son who visited
the Coroner's quarters as last resort
1t was just II days before she had been
brought there. On her way to Mt. Wash
ington she had attempted to cross the
tracks of the Allegheny Valley Railroad at
Fifty-irst street, and was knocked down by
passing train. Her right leg was severed
completely from her body. and her head
was bruised in the most horrible man
ner. She was taken to . the West
Penn Hospital in an ambulance, and died
there an hour later The Coroner was i'm
mediately notified and the body removed
to the morgue, where it remained until
last evening.
"And to think that she should be there
all this time, without our knowing it."
was all that A. M. Rabanus said. It was
the strange end of one of the most pathetic
cases that has come under the notice of
Cnrnner McDnWell