The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-09-12


Foot Slipped and lie was Caught Be-
meath the Cruel Wheels and Badly
Manrled-He was BILE to Give Fell
Directions to Those Who Had Come to
His Rescue-He was wen-Known In
wichita, Having Worked for the Mis-
souri Pacific-Fun Particulars.
John Cook, former employe Of the
Missouri Pacific IN this city, met his
death Thursday at st. Louis. The fol-
lowing account, taken from the Post
Dispatch, will be read with interest by
the readers OF the Bagfe:
Crushed, mangled, bruised and bleed
ing and partially pinned beneath a
heavily laden freight car, John Cook, a
burlington switanuran, this morning
exhibited most marvellous courage and
composure in directing Others how TO
extricate him from the awful predica-
rpent which had doomed him TO death.
At 4:30 O'Clock Cook WAS engaged in
coupling cars with the other members
of the train crew. While attempting
TO make a very difficult cOUpEng-a
patent coupler with an ordinary one
he slipped and fen directly between
the cars, receiving such terrible injuT
les that death resulted six hours later
at St Luke's hospital. That death WAS
not immediate is almost incredible, as
the unfortunate switchman was literal
iy crushed to pieces. He was struck by
the car and Thrown between the rails,
the left leg being frightfully lacenated
by a wheel which ran over IL, crushing
the bone like an egg shell An iron bar
attached TO the car penetrated Cooks
body making a gaping wound sufil-
cientIy large to admit a mans fist. The
agony occasioned by this frigRtful IN
jury was augmented by the following
Injuries: Right arm broken, left thigh
crusheda, a compound fracture of the
right thigh. internal injuries and nu-
merOus scalp wounds.
although he lay CHEERING in MS own
blood and was wounded unto death,
the brave man never even uttered a
groan- The position in which he lay
puzzled the train crew as TO elow 10 ex-
tricate him Cook, realizing what was
necessary, and without losing con-
seriousness, cody ordered the crew to
ten the engineer to back up. In doing
SO the car, which had been partially de
rallied, was again pulled over the leg
80 cruelty 4naIlEt6Q- Inc neipfeSS
fwitchgnan bore this ordeal Ike a nero,
and while his companions, sickened by
the horrible spectacle, were unable to
restrain their emotion, patiently await
ed the coming Of Acting Police Surgeon
johnson Then, on the verge of ccl-
lapse, he gave no apparent indication
of the agony which racked the shatter-
cd body.
TT was not until he had reached the
hospital that the dying man gave evil
dence of the torture he endured. Hap
PLY uncmsciousness relieved the poor
fellow Of the frig}tful pain he had 50
ma-rvelOusly endured. He passed qui-
city from slumber to death.
Cook was perhaps as perfect a speci-
men of physical manhood as any Of the
thousands who devote their lives to the
dangerous occupation in which ha was
daily engaged He was unmarriet, and
resided with his parents at 2442 Six
teench street. Coroner Rollins viii in
vesigate the circumstances of Cooks |
tragic death.
The dead man was a giant in stat
ure, six feet, six inches IN height, and
weighed 200 pounds. he was wei known
among railroad men.