The San Francisco call., 1896-02-17
The Wheels Passed Over Her
Neck and Severed the Head
From the Body.
THERE WAS BUT ONE WITNESS
Little May Quill the Victim-The
Train Went on to the Next Sta.
tion-Who Is TO Blame

BERKELEY, CAL, Feb. 16.-May Quill,
girl of 13 years, who lives with Mrs.
Michael J. Powell at the corner of Magee
avenue and Allston way, Berkeley, was
instantly killed by the o'clock south
bound local train this evening while at
tempting to alighJ from it near Dwight
way station The wheels passed over her
heau, completely severing it from her
oooy and crushing it beyond all descrip-
ton. No other injuries to her body were
sustained save few bruises. Her cloth
ing was not even tattered.
There were no eye-witnesses to the tragic
death, SO far as can be ascertained save
Sadie Miller. a Young girl who also lives
with Mrs. Powell, and who was in company
with the unfortunate girl when the acct
dent took place.
Some friends of Mrs. Powell had come
over from San francisco TO spend the day
IN Berkeley, and when they were about to
leave May Quill and Sadie Miller asked if
they could accompany the callers to the
local. Leave was granted, and as they de.
parted for the train Mrs. Powell admon-
lshed them to take care and return home
before 1t got too dark. With fond en-
brace she bid farewell to the children as
they went tripping merriIy up the street
Tow ara Berkeley station. This was the
last she heard OF them until the news of
NJ ay' death came to her. Instead of re-
turning at once, the two girls boarded the
train and rode to Dwight way. 1t was
when they were attempting to alight that
the accident took place
Sadie states that she saw May when she
was killed. On account of her extreme
excite ment Miss Miller seemed unable to
glVea clear statement IS to how il occurred.
She says that she and May had ridden to
Dwight way and that she herself got off all
night. SO great was her confusion that
she could not state whether May had
made any attempt to alight before the
train started or whether she herself got off
While the train was at q standstill or was
moving. About all she could say was 81
got OF all right, but poor May didn't"
Conductor Chris Luttrell, who was .Iin
harge OF the train at the time OF the acci-
dent, said:
Il knew nothing of the accident until
we had nearly reached Ashby avenue, the
next station beyond Dwight way, when a
boy came running through the car and
told me that some one was injured.
stopped the train and told the engineer to
back up until we were within seventy-five
or eighty feet of where the body lay l
left the brakeman there in charge of the
remains and then went on to the mole
The boy who told me of the accident said
that the girl who was killed was standing
on the lower step of the car when the
train started, and remained there until
well nnder way. The boy said that he
asked her why she did not get off to which
she responded, L don't have to- I saw
the gi-l standing in the train talking to
her friends during our run from Berkeley
station 10 Dwight way, but had no knowl-
edge OF whether she got off until after the
occurrence of the accident.
LAS 10 the report that the train was late
and that we did not stop at Dwight way
the usual length of time, l Will state that
that there is no truth in it. I can swear
that at least seYenty-five or eighty people
got on at that station. and every one had
am pie time to get on or off. The crowd
was unusually large, and special precau-
ton was taken on that account. / was
standing on one side of the train and the
brakeman on the other when the engineer
was signaled to go ahead. That every one
had ample time | am positively certain"
Brakeman Aldrich, who was left in
charge of the body after the train had
backed up, stated that be had no knowI-
edge of how the accident took place, and
that so far as he was able to learn from
what people said, it was purely accidental
and due to carelessness on the part of the
girl.
One statement is to the effect that the
dead girl had left a package on the train
and was returning to get 1t when the train
started and in her effort to Jump off was
thrown beneath the wheels.
This report is not credited, however, as
the package alluded TO has not been found.
There are several conflicting statements
with regard to the case. Some say that
the train did not stop long enough to ad-
nit of every one getting off, while others
state that ample time was given. 1t is the
general supposition that the girl was at
tempting to see how long she could stay
on the moving train and yet get off safely.
The point where the accident occurred
was about halfway between Blake and
Parker streets, or about 500 feet from
Dwightway Station. The roadbed is per-
fectly smooth at this point, showing that
the girl must have slipped off the steps or
between the steps Of the two cars. A lit
tie farther down the track there is an. en-
bankment on either side, which would
have had tendency to throw her beneath
the wheels had the accident occurred In
that vicinity. The body lay apparently in
the very same position in which 1t had
fallen, as the clothing was only slightly
disheveled and no limbs were fractured.
There was no scattering of crushed parts
Of the head farther than two or three feet,
and her life-blood lay in pool between
the heavy rails.
he dead girls father, VINO Keeps gro,
Gerry at the corner Of Twenty-sixth and
streets, San Francisco, was at
once notified of the accident, but up till
late hour tonight had not arrived. Her
mother is not living and she was the only
daughter. She was living with Mrs. Pow
ell and attending st. Joseph's Convent IN
West Berkeley
She bad been living IN Berkeley only
since July, and passed her thirteenth
tplrthday last September An inquest VIII
pe held over the remains tomorrow morn
ing.
Died Mt ti,a AauIur,,