Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1895-08-15

Winner Of a Worlds Fair Frizes
PHILADELPHIA, Aug 15.-Thomas Ho-
venden the great painter, known most
widely through the country by his famous
Worlds fair picture Breaking Home
Ties, " was Instantly killed in vain eff
fort to save a little girl from death. II
was at the Plymouth meeting station Of
the little branch Of the Pennsylvania rail-
road into Plymouth township.
Toward evening Mr.. Hovenden reached
the station from his beautiful home not
far away and was walking up and down
waiting for Philadelphia train. There
was q group Of women and children on
the platform across the trucks. They
were Mrs. Pifer Of Morristown, her two
daughters and some friends, all from Nor
ristown, and they were waiting for a
freight train to pass so that they could
cross the tracks and go over TO Barren
hill The freight rumbled along the west
bound track and as soon as the caboose
had passed little Bessie Pifer, years old,
darted across the tracks toward the plat
form upon which Mr.. Hoyendon was
standing.
On the east bound track an engine was
coming at the rate Of 20 miles an hour. It
had been hidden from the group Of women
by the freight train. In an instant the
overeager child was standing in the east
bound track, with the engine but few
yards away. The women screamed. Mrs.
Piper fell unconscious TO the platform.
The child, fascinated by her peril, stopped
and stood In the track, too terror stricken
even TO scream.
He Took Desperate Chances.
Of
den's eyes turned to the child. He did
not know her. He had never seen her be-
fore He must have seen that there was
only one chance in a thousand. As he
looked he jumped into the east bound
track and stretched out his hand for the
child
But the engine was upon thom. It
crushed the skull Of the child, lifted her
small body and tossed IL 90 feet TO one
side. 1t crushed in the skull OF the famous
artist and dragged his heavier body,
caught in the oowcatcher until the on
ginecr was able TO stop. Both artist and
child must have died instantly.
The women from Norristown gathered
about the body Of the little girl Some Of
the men at the station, all Of whom knew
and were proud of the great painter, put
his body on a rude stretchor and carried
it back to the house he had left few min
utes before in the health and spirits Of
the prime of manhood. IL was all over so
quickly that the people who saw It could
not realize that the great man who has
done so much, and would have done more
and greater was dead-killed in an act
of horoism that was as fruitless as it was
sublime.
Mr.. Hovendon was elected to the Ma
tional academy In 1882, 20 tho American
Water Color society the Same year and
later to various honorable New York and
Philadelphia societies of artists. He be-
gan to paint American subjects and his
pictures were copied and were soon recog-
nized everywhere. He always chose sim
pie, homoly subjects. At the New York
exhibition OF 1891 no showed Breaking
Home Ties, Fl" with its wonderfully faith
ful portrayal of the country boy leaving
home to seek his fortune. 1t won the first
prize there and also at the Philadelphia
exhibition. At the Worlds fair crowds
surrounded it all day long Elaine
and The Last Moments of John Brown"
are almost equally famous.