The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-02-26
HIS BODY MANGLED
Hanson NOrdSand Cut to Pieces by a
Northern Pacific Train.
NEAR HOMESTAKE TUNNEL
It Is Not Positively Known When
He Was killed-The Inquest
VIII Be Held This
Afternoon.
NEAR HOMESTAKE TUNNEL

The frightfully mangled remains of
Antoine Hanson Nordsand were found
strewn along the Northern Pacific
railroad, a short distance this side of
the Homestake tunnel. yesterday
morning. The body had been run
over by two or three trains and frag-
ments of II were scattered along the
track for fully a third of a mile. Both
legs and an arm had been ground to
pieces and an unrecognizable trunk
was about all that remained of the
body. The dead mans identity was es-
tablished through letters found in his
coat pocket.
AS a special freight train was coming
ing down the hill about $3.50 o'clock
yesterday morning, Engineer Joseph
James discovered dead body lying on
the track, at a point about 1000 feet
this side of the tunnel. The body
came into view as the train rounded a
sharp curve and when first seen it was
not more than SO feet away. The en-
gineer whistled for the brakes and APP
piled the air and when the train came
to a stop, only the engine and three
cars had passed over the remains.
The train crew took the body out
from under the wheels and left IL be-
side the track in charge of Charles
been summoned from Homestake.
George OFT, the conductor of the train,
took several letters out of the dead
mans pocket, and on his arrival here
turned them over to Depot Agent Mer-
riman. The body was perfectly cold
when ii was taken out from under the
train, and ii was evident that the man
had been previously run over by an
other train.
Coroner Richards and Chance Harris
drove out to Homestake after the body
on being informed Of the accident and
made a careful examination of the
track in both directions. A hundred
feet north of where the body was found
they discovered big pool of blood in
the middle of the track, and pieces of
cloth and fragments of the remains
were found scattered along up to
where the body was picked up and for
80 feet on the other side of Ii. About
a thousand feet farther on In the direc-
ton of the tunnel a big clot of blood
was found on the ties and just outside
of the rail the face and inside steei
cap of the dead mans watch Were
picked up. Three hundred feet this
side of the tunnel a tattered and bloody
vest and the case and works of the
watch We're found. 1t is not known
whether Nordsand was killed by a
freight train which came In from the
the eastbound passenger train, which
left at 1890. The brakemen on the
freight train reported that three fell
lows asked them at Homestake for a
ride into Butte and were refused.
Nordsand might have been one of them
and had undertaken TO ride on the
brake beam.
1t is presumed that Monday nights
passenger train ran over the body and
dragged 1t to where 1t was found by
the freight crew yesterday morning
The passenger train was closely ex-
amined in the yards yesterday after
noon. No blood was found on the en-
CINE but there was plenty of II on the
trucks of the cars. 1t is possible that
Nordsand may have attempted to
board the passenger train as IL was
climbing the hill and fallen in between
the cars.
The mangled remains were placed in
a sack and brought to the Butte un-
dertaking rooms, where an inquest will
be held at o'clock this afternoon. The
railroad officials have telegraphed the
dead mans relatives. lit was learned
from the papers found ON him that he
was a painter and had been working
for the Northern Pacific at Laurel. A
letter was found from his mother In
Sweden and another which he had
written to a sister in Minnesota. In
1t he told her that he had an oppor-
tunity to go to work on the new court
house in Livingston, but that he would
have to walt so long that he thought
he would go to Butte and try to find
work. 1t was also ascertained that he
has a brother-in-law in st. Paul.