Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-04-01
A HORRIBLE ACCIDENT.
JOHN KEYS KILLED By AN ELECTRIC
MOTOR.
Falling From a Bicycle, BE Was Hit By the Gal
and Dragged Fifty Psst-The Operator
Committed to Jail Without Bail,
For Hearing.

A horrible accident occurred al MAIN
and Twenty-second street, on the street
car line, at ESQ last evening.
The victim, who died within an hour,
was John Keys, aged 30, OF st. Glars
Vile, brakeman on the B. & o.
Daniel Stewart, motor-man on car
No. so, which killed Keys, was arrested
and committed to jail, without bail,
for hearing Tuesday, before Justice
Gillespy.
The stories as to the amount of crimi-
nal negligence on the part Of Stewart,
differ considerably, and the facts
will likely only be brought out at the
examination before the Justice. The
great weight of opinion last night was
that Stewart was running too fast, that
he didn't sound his bell, and that he
was not watching the track as he
should. Members Of the Brotherhood
of Trainmen. Of which organization
Keys was member, said last night they
would prove that Stewart was leaning
against the front end of the car, at or
below Twenty-frst street. reading
paper or a letter, and this, IL true, will
have an important bearing on the case.
Keys had been boarding at Mrs.
Sprouts, on Twenty-frst street, for
some time, and about three weeks ago
he secured a bicycle, which he was
learning to ride in the evenings. Last
evening he got out his wheel, and made
several trips up and down Main street,
and also on Twenty-frst street, below
Main and Market. Just before the &C
cident Officers Moran and Donovan saw
him on his wheel at ally 10 and Main
street, going north on the east side OF
the street. He went on up TO or above
Twenty-second street, and then turned,
and Just at the south line of Twenty
second street he got on his wheel again
to start down Main street. He was on
the east side Of the track and about
three feet from it when car No. 50,
south bound, came along at what spec
tators allege to be high rate OF speed.
When the car was within very few
Yards OF Keys, his wheel gave
sudden lurch, such as frequently
happens with amateur riders,
and Keys was thrown sideways upon the
rail. As he fell the car struck him, and
the unfortunate man was jammed in un-
der the wheel guard and brake, and thus
tightly wedged in, was driven along the
track a distance Of fifty feet, while Keys
yelled in his agony for help. The car
then stopped, but so tightly was Keys
body wedged in that the car he'd 10 be
backed before he could be eXtricated.
The police at once sent for the patrol
wagon, and the wounded and dying man
was taken to the City Hospital,
where DR.. Walden attended him, DR.
Hildreth being also summoned, but not
arriving until about the time death ar
rived. Keys was conscious at the hos
ptal, but sank rapidly, dying in about
an hour after he was hurt. His wounds
consisted of a fractured skull, and a
horrible hole in the flesh on the left
side. centering at or a little above the
hin Joint. There the flesh was ground
and torn away for length OF, over
foot. clear into the bone and cavity OF
the lower abdomen, and dirt and dust
was ground into the raw flesh until the
whole was bloody and biackened mass.
The wonder is the man lived nve min
utes after he was hurt.
Soon after the mangled form OF the
victim was released from beneath the
car, Stewart, the motorman, ran his
car down TO Forty-third street, whore
he was put under arrest by, Officer
Minkemyer and taken in the patrol
wagon to Justice Gillespy's, and thence
to Jail.
Stewart was seen by REGISTER re-
porter, and said the power was not on
the car at the time Of the accident, as
it was the custom to shutit off after 60
ing up the grade from the stone bridge
to Twenty-irst street, and run for
square or so by the momentum gained.
He admitted he did not ring the bell,
and said he did not consider the man
in any danger, and that he would have
passed him safely II the bicycle had not
struck q stone, thus throwing Keys I'M
der the car. He thought Keys was half
way between the car and the east side
walk and also said he thought he only
dragged Keys half the length OF car.
The police say the distance was fifty
three feet. Stewart also said he
applied the brake promptly when
Keys was struck. This statement
differs radically from the other stories.
aud it was pointed out last night that If
the power was off. as Stewart says, the
car would scarcely have run fifty feet
with a man under the wheel, and espe-
cially If Stewart applied the brake
promptly.
Stewart came here from Lima, o.,
and has been living in alley IS. He Is
said to be an expert electric car man.
Keys home is in st. CIairsvllle. he
was married, but lately got divorce