The morning call., 1893-01-26
1T LEFT NO MARK.
Strange Work of a Freight
Car Wheel.
RUNS OVER A MANS BODY,
But Leaves 1t Without a Single
Visible Scratch.
PATRICK O'NEiL'S CURIOUS DEATH
The Car and Its Contents Weighed
10000 Pounds ard 1t Had
Sharp-Flanged Wheel.
PATRICK o'NElL's CURIOUS DEATH

One Of the most remarkable cases ever
taken TO the city M0rgue was received at
that Institution yesterday morning, when
the BODY Of Patrick O'Njel. a switchman
employed by the Southern Pacific Railroad
in the wards at Fourth and Townsend streets.
was delivered 10 the Coroner with the tag,
Crushed to death by being run over by a
loaded fre.ghicar" accompanying the
corpse.
When the body was taken to the autopsy
room and stripped preparatory to post
norton examination, the Coroner's deputies
and q stray physician or two, who happened
10 be present at the time. looked at the body
and then at the tag again and again.
So far as one could judge from external
appearances O'Niel had not been crushed
to death.
There wasn't a mark upon the body OF
any sort or kind. except q little red line
about four Inches in length In the right
groin. and yet a dozen men had stood by
and seen the wheel Of a heavy freightcar
weighing about $4,000 pounds and load ed
with $4,000 pounds OF mere handlse run
sQuarely scToss the mans chest ana crush
tie life cut Of him.
The statement sounded incredible, yet
there was the body without bTUise OF mark
upon il other than the little scratch men
toned, and there beside il were the living
friends of the dead man who saw him die,
mourned his uutimely end and who could be
in no way benefited by telling anything
other than tie whole truth about the man
ner Of his death, which was purely accl-
dental
O'Neil had been sWitchman in the en-
ploy OF the railroad company Tor twenty
seven years, and during ali that Tine had
never received as much as scratch IN tie
performance of bis duty.
Yesterday morning be was making up
freight train and had eight or ten loaded
cars coupled 10 the engine
There as q car on siding that wanted
10 60 ia the train, and ONeil, after throw
Ing the switch, sgnaled the engineer to
back uD.
I, was about o'clock and the morning
was fosgy, the i rails being slippery with
moisture.
The engineer came back very slowly and
as the cars approached the standing car
0Neil stepped in 10 make tie coupling.
As he stepped between the cars his foot
slipped and he fell backward, his chest
lying just across the rail, hts face upward.
a group Of railroad men standing near by
saw The fall, and with one accord shrleked
10 the engineer 10 stop.
The man in charge OF the LOGON olive
obeyed the warning quickly, but not quick
enough TO prevent one wheel Of the rear
truck Of the heavily laden car from passing
over 0'NeiPs chest.
It was all done 10 a second, and the poor
fellow was dead before he had a chance to
even cry aloud.
Tie men standing by rushed TO where
0Netl lay between the wheels ef the car
and tenderly yet quickly drew bis body off
tie track.
They expected 20 see him cut in two-to
see his flannel shirt delnged With blood, MS
bones crushed and his flesh mangled.
They saw none Of these things.
Just across the breast II the shirt was
small crease as Il a hot hatiTon had been
run across the garment when il as folded.
There was no blood and, so far as one
could SEE, DO broken bones.
II men wondered, but when the body
was taken TO tie M0Tgue. the clothing re-
moved from Il, aud not even 4 ma. Of the
wheel that had crushed the mans life out in
an instant was 10 be seen, wonder grew
into something more.
Why the wheel with the sharp fiangs did
not cut into the soft flesh no one car eX-
plain.
That the weight Of the car crushed the
heart, lungs, and with them the life out CT
the man is certain, but in doing it the BODY
was left unmarked.
IT'S q curious case" said an old railroad
man last night as lie stood in front OF the
MOTgue awaiting the result Of the autopsy,
land never knew but one ike if. About
two years ago, down on the LathTOp d.
vision, q section boss tried to get off the
eabo0se of a rapidly moving freight train
one day, and in some way he got caught
and was slung under the wheels. They ran
over him just at tie waistband of his pam
falcons and left MIN dead on the track. We
backed up and got the body There wasn't
mark on it when we came to examine It.
but a heavy silver watch tile man had inlthe
wstchpocket Of his trousers was smashedlas
fat As silver dollar. some OF the piniOns
beng driven through the case.
1T IS queer how these cars do kill some
times" he added
And he was right. Il Is queer. and
ONei's case Is one Of the queerest OF the
queer ones.