The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-01-03
TWO MEN KILLED.
The New Year Ushered i'm With
a Terrible Accident.
B. F. Halliday and William Patton
Almost Instantly Killed at the G.
G. & s. Crossing in Waco.

A Witness Says Their Horse Became
Unmanageable and That III nd
Not be stopped, While others Say
an Attempt Was Made to Get Across
the Track Ahead of the Approa hing
Engine--Skuus Crushed in and the
Bodies. and wreckage of the Wagon,
Carried for Some Distance-The
Statements of Persons Who Wit
messed the Fatality-coroner Conk-
lin Investigating.
New Years day, William Patton and Benja-
min F. Halliday, residents of Waco, were
driving home from town in a two horse wagon.
They had brought load Of wood to the city
and were on their way home to dinner. As
they crossed the G. G. & s. railway at Waco
the wagon was struck by shifting engine No.
a5. Patton had his skull crushed badly, the
brains oozing out of his ears. His right thigh
was also crushed; his death was instantaneous.
Halliday had two scalp wounds and his skull
crushed. He fingered on from the time Of the
accident, about noon, until three o'clocklwhen
he died. The horse had gotten across the
track and was only slightly injured. The
wagon was broken to pieces.
The crossing is an open one where the track
can be seen for some distance both ways, and
the men must have miscalculated the distance
the engine was from the crossing. Halliday
was a man as years of age. He leaves a wife
and two children in Waco. Patton was GO
years ofage.
Coroner Conklin was notified and made an
investigation Of the cause Of the accident. The
men were driving south while the train was
going east. Patton was thrown about 22S feet
from the crossing and Halliday about 100. The
engine ran some thirty or forty feet farther
than where Patton lay, before it could be stop
ped.
Catharine Dansizen was on the porch at her
home and saw the wagon coming down the
road. She did not hear the engine whistle,
but saw the wagon struck and the men thrown.
Was very positive the engine gave no signal.
The engines are in the habit of running past
this crossing without whistling.
Marion Gibbs was standing in his fathers
yard at the time the accident happened. lie
had been down the road and had ridden down
home with Halliday. Halliday appeared to be
sober. When the wagon passed the
house the horse was trotting. About
hundred feet from the crossing
the horse broke into gallop and Halliday
was saving ON his horses mouth seemingly in
an effort to check its speed. Heard the engine
whistle and it was blowing off steam when it
passed. There was man standing on the
crossing making signs to Halliday to keep
back but his horse seemed to be beyond his
conuol. When he first saw Halliday he had
the lines wrapped around his hands. He
thought the horse was frightened at the en-
gine.
Abraham Murphy is the mail carrier at
Waco and lives just across the track where the
accident happened. He said: 81 saw the en-
gine coming and also saw Halliday coming
down the road, and il looked as il each wanted
TO make the crossing first. They were both
coming at very rapid rate. heard no signal
given by the engineer, neither whistle or ring
ing Of the bell. When first saw the engine
they were between Belden avenue and the
Waynesburg road crossing, probably about
800 feet away. The engine was
coming at very rapid rate, and / am
positive theyo were no signals given. Halliday
was driving very fiery mare. The engine
struck the wagon first in the rear Of the front
wheels. / saw man by the name Of Newton
standing on the crossing making signals to
Halliday. 1 do not know whether the men
were intoxicated or not 1t is nothing unusual
for the engines to run past this crossing at a
high rate of speed without giving any signals.
After the engine struck the wagon 1t ran some
distance before it could be stopped
The engineer who was running the shifter
said the first he knew Of the accident he heard
his fireman yell stop, and looking out, saw a
horses nose appear on his side Of the engine.
He reversed his engine but it was too late. The
fireman saw the men but did not think they
would attempt to make the crossing.
The funeral of the unfortunate men will
take place in Akron Friday afternoon