Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-08-29
AUGUSTA LOCALS.
SrRUCk BY THE ENGINE.
Flora varney, nee Pendexier. Narrowly Is
capped Death Monday Morning.

| There is one young woman IN Augusta
who can congratulate herself upon mar
velous escape from death Monday morn
| ing.
| She is Flora Varney, nee Pendexter,
formerly of Pishons Ferry. who was mar
ried By Justice of the Peace Lewis Selbing
Sunday evening, to Walter o. Varney of
thi. city. varney is employed on Joseph
A Shsw's chicken farm on the Togus road
| Mrs. Varney was coming along the Maine
Central tracks at the east end of the rail
road bridge Monday morning about 10
O'Clock. There is a path on the outside OF
curve next to the ends of the ties.
| About 80 feet from the bridge is a hand
1 car house, and few feet nearer the bridge
! is platform for the handcar to be placed
] upon to let trains pass.
!, Mrs. Varney WAS upon the platform
J when seen from the cab of the engine upon
= train No. "a as it came around the turn.
I She did not apparently realize the close
] ness of the path to the track, for she
stepped down from the platform into the
4 path an was thaG moment struck by the
i end of the .'bunter beam" on the engine
ard hurled forward.
4 Engineer Shorey almost instantly stopped
the train, and the injured woman Wa
! placed in the baggage car and carried to the
station, and was then taken to 13l Water
street to Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Lesvitt. witt
whom she bad been boarding for somt
:, time.
Mrs. Leavtt il in very serious condi
I ton, Just recovering from nervous pros
tration, and it was not thought advisable &c
carry Mrs. Vsrney in there. and so she wal
taken to Mr.. and Mrs Will Walkers apart
, ment.
Or. II. J. Frederick was called and from
the first examination decided that Mrs. Var
ney had received no very serious injuries
. From the nature and place of the bruises i,
wrs evident that she had been struck on the
right hip, but apparently no bones had beer
. broken,
In the marriage certificate it appears that
Mrs. varney was 10 and had been married
before. The name of her first husband
cannot be ascertained.
She came to Augusta few months ago
to live with her grandmother. Mrs. Albert
%. Leavitt. who had married again and who
lives on the Belfast road.
:, Later the girl came into town to act as
housekeeper for Elmer Leavitt, Albert
.Leavitt's son, during the illness Of the for
liners wife.
For the past few weeks she has boarded
there, Walter varney, her present husband,
paying the bills.
1t appears that the girl has married with
reluctance aud after having refused Var
ney several times and that Immediately af-
-ter her marriage she repented having taken
the step.
= Her husband had but little pay and had
suggested that she 90 to work and it was to
>look for work that she left Mrs. Leavitt's
SMondav morning. She went over the river
to call on Mrs. Hoyt and Mrs. Stickney
and while at their home expressed her re-
greet nj the marriage. She was returning
>home, as she had come, over the bridge
'Sand was walking along the track evidently
lost in thought and did not notice either
the whistle or the noise of the approaching
train. She Was exceptionally fortunate in
that the train had slackened speed to cross
the bridge and so did not strike her with
full force.
So far as can be learned by careful ex-
animation there is no truth in the stories
that she contemplated suicide.
Mrs. varney came out from the effects
of the shock in the latter part of the after
noon, and except for the bad bruises on the
hip already described and the right shoulder
and arm. caused by the fall. DR.. Freder-
icks thought she had escaped all serious
injury and was doing well.