The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1892-08-02
thANh Il. MEaU hlAAEO.
A Veteran u. n. L. T. Freight
Conductor Crushed to Neath
this Morning by Falling
Buildings at Ne
vada, No.
Body Recovered from the Wreck
two Hours AfterWard-Dis.
tressing Scene at his
Home On Seventh
Street.

1uc sOutucdSt CokbCA VI enS PuoAS
square in Nevada, Mo-, was the scene
of q sudden tragedy at 12:l5 o'clock
this morning, in which popular and
we'll known Sedalian lost his lie.
Frank L. Mead, who Was con-
ductor on local freight train running
between Sedalia and Nevada, while
stopping over at the latter place, was
in the habit of rooming up stairs in a
two story brick building owned by j.
A. Tyler, and, until recently, occupied
by the Tyler Hardware company.
The firm had moved out temporarily,
while the foundation was undergoing
repairs.
Nj. Mead left Sedalia early yester.
day morning, on his regular run. Ii
is not known what time before mid
night he retired to bed, but he had
been seen up in town during the eve
ming by a number OF friends.
There was a building adjoining
that of Mr.. Tyler's owned by Bond
Mcdonald and occupied by the Ne
vsda Drug Store company. At
12:15 o'clock, a. m, without a mo-
ment's warning, the crash came and
both large houses we're instantly con-
verted into a mass of broken
timbers and crushed stone and
brick. The drug store was
filled With a large stock of goods and
handsome plate glass cases. These
were crushed and covered up in the
wreck.
A night patrolman and some other
persons, knowing that DR.. II. NJ.
Metcalf, Of Nevada, generally slept in
the Tyler building, FASTENED to bis
mothers house some blocks away, to
know if he was there or in the wreck.
They we're happy to find the doctor
at home, he having happened, by
mere good fortune, to sleep at bis
mothers residence on the fatal night.
As soon as Informed of the falling
Of the houses, DR.. Metcalf knew that
his friend and roommate was in the
debris, and hsstened to the spot. The
bells were rung in order to arouse
the citizens, go that any bodies
buried in the wreck might be recover
ed.
Scores of men soon arrived at
the scene and set to work vigorously
with spades, picks and axes. After
laboring Two hours, Mead's
body was found face down.
ward, life being extinct.
He was clad in his night clothes and
the bed he had occupied was turned
completely upside down, resting upon
him. The face and body were not
badly disfgured. Near the corpse
was found Mead's fiue gold watch,
which was still running. On going
to bed he had probably placed it un.
der his pillow, as is the custom Of
most men. The heavy gold chain
was broken of.
The body was Immediately con
veyed to an undertaker's and there
the coroner's inquest was held THU
morning.
The rumor that there were othel
bodies in the debris was untrue, none
having been found after a thorough
search.
A few minutes after the arrival o.
the $40 o'clock passenger train from
the south this morning. the report o
the calamity having been fully con
firmed, BAzoo representative visited
the Mead home at 523 West Seventh
street. 1t is q handsome two-story
frame building, with q nice, large
yard. Just as he rang the bell two
ladies, one of whom afterward provet
TO be Mrs. Mead, me: him at the door
There was an expression of alarm OF
their faces, for they had just heard {
rumor that the husband had been in
jured. The coming of a strange
seemed to instantly fill the ladies with
fear, and they pressed him to tell then
the particulars. There is hardly any
duty sadder than to break the news o
death on an occasion of this kind. bu
it was necessary to do it. Mrs. Meat
refused for moment to believe t,ant
struggled with all a woman's inteus'
feelings to shut herself away from
the terrible facts. Then she suddenly
threw her hands to her eyes, uttere,
a wild outburst of grief and fell int
the arms of her companion, who. will
the reporters aid, carried her faintinl
to a bed.
The children had heard the new
and four Of them, who we're old enougl
to realize the dreadful situation, wer'
wild with grief and screamed a. tn