The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-11-12
WAS II ATTENPTEDMURDER?
Story Of a Man Found on the Lehigh
Valley Tracks.
CLAIMS TO HAVE BEEN BEATEN !
His Jaw and Skull Were Badly Fractured
He Was Released From the Pottsville
Jail Yesterday After Serving
Long Term.

The police authorities of this town have
an enigma in hand and they will have some
difficulty in solving it if the victim who
figures in it does not recover sufficiently to
give them an intelligent statement. The
victim is "a Pole named Paul Rasimas and he
is now at the Miners hospital receiving
treatment for injuries Of very dangerous
character.
When an east-bouud coal train drawn by
engine No l60 on the Lchigh Valley railroad
approached the cut near Kohinoor Junction.
which is spanned by the Schuylkill Traction
Company's bridge the crew observed the
body Of a man lying ON the track The
train was stopped long enough TO pick up
the victim and place him on the engine. He
was brought to town and sheltered i'm the
miners shanty near the Lchigh Valley depot
until the train arrived to take him to the
Miners hospital
When Rasimas arrived he was sufficiently
conscious to give his name aud say that he
was attacked by some men ON the Traction
Company's bridge and thrown over the rail
ing to the Lehigh Valley tracks, about
thirty feet below. Rasimus then became
wholly unconscious and nothing more could
be learned from him.
DIR. &. VI. Hamilton was called and made
an examination. He found that the in
juries were confined to the head, and pro-
nounced them very serious. The scalp was
terribly gashed ON the right side just above
tbn fnrp lnal ~
the right ear. The skull was badly fractured
in both places and the front Of the law bone
was broken clean in twain Notwithstand-
ing the terrible character Of the injuries
DR.. Hamilton expressed the belief that the
mans life could be saved and trepanning
would be necessary. He dressed the injuries
temporarily.
Nothing concerning the victim could be /.
learned until one Joe Kowlitz resident of
the First ward, appeared. He was attracted
to the place by hearing that friend of his /.
had been injured. He readily identified
Rasmas and said he was Il man of about 30
years of age without any relatives in this /
country. Kowitz told the following story
to HERALD reporter: II went down to
Pottsville yesterday to meet Rasmas. He |.
was released from the Pottsville jail ycster-
day after serving term of three and half |.
years for assault and battery with intent to
kill. He was sentenced to four years. but
was allowed six months for good behavior .
We came to Shenandoah and spent several
hours together drinking. At about half
past eight o'clock last night left Rasimas at
the Pennsylvania railroad depot. Rasimas
was very drunk and l left him. l went to
Paulakonis' saloon, on East Centre5street and
staid there all night | did not see Rasimas
after left him at the depot until l came
here"
One thing that mystifed Dr. Hamilton
during the examination of the body was that
the hair on the back and right side of the
victims head was burned close to the scalp.
Some people incline to the belief that
Rasimus walked from the PENNSYLVANIA
depot along the Lehgh Valley tracks to the
place where he was found and struck by a
train. But this supposition appears to be
refuted by the fact that almost twelve hours
elapsed between the time that Rasimus was
last seen at the Pennsylvania depot and the
finding Of the man on the track. Had he
been struck last night his body would have
been ground to pieces by the several late
night and early morning trains. Besides, the
body would have been discovered before
seven o'clock this morning, and there was
nothing on the track that would burn the
hair. The clothing the man wore was new
and did not show any evidences of the body |
having been dragged in the dirt Rasimus
was very neatly dressed.
Another version is that the man was struck
by an electric railway car and before the
body was thrown from one of the ends of
.he bridge the hair was burned by the head
,oming in contact with some part of the
electrical apparatus
The Traction Company officials at Girard-
Vile stated this morning that none of its
employees had reported strikinga a man at the
bridge.
There is also version that Rasimus was
struck by train on the Lehigh Valley track
Early this morning and thrown into the
gutter and that lighted cigar he probably
carried perhaps fell in such "A position as to
ignite his hair. People who entertain this
belief say that by being thrown into the
gutter the victim escaped other trains and
with partly returning consciousness as the
lay advanced he rolled upon the track.
And there are still others who believe that
before Rasimus relapsed he told the truth.
There is a possibility that the man spent the
hight making rounds of saloons and came in
ontact with men who sought vengeance by ;
'eating and throwing him from the bridge.
Soheihy House.