The herald., 1896-05-09
CRUSHED UNDER THE WHEELS
A Mexican Instantly Killed by
Pasadena Electric Car
BODY TERRIBLY MANGLED
Pursued q Companion With a Knife and
Met His Death
Sabas Escarza, q Cucamonga Rancher. the
Victim-0ruesome Particulars Of the
Accident-lnquest Today

Under the massive trucks of a Pasa-
| dena electric car the life of SaboS Es-
carZa, Mexican. was last night grouro
out, and what had but moment before
| been human being instinct with life.
| was transformed in an instant into an
| unrecognizable mass of quivering flesh
| The accident was purely the fault of the
| victim, who, in a drunken fury. was pur-
| suing another man with knife, and no
| especial blame can be put upon the
motorman or conductor. except that it
| has been said the car was running at a
| high rate of speed.
Car No. 81 of the line started from the
corner of Fourth and Spring streets
| bound for Pasadena shortly after $3.50
| last night, and by the time it turned into
| Buena Vista street had taken on board
| about twenty passengers. All went well
until the corner of Ord street was reach
| ed, and the ear was bowling along
| through the darkness, when suddenly
| from the corner came the forms of two
| men running. one was slightly in ad-
vance of the other. and seemed to be
seeking to escape from him.
Pursuer and pursued dashed across
| the track, obliviouS of everything but
| their own quarrel. The man in advance
! just cleared the onrushing car. but the
| second was not SO fortunate. When
squarely in the middle of the track he
was struck and disappeared under the
| WneelS WIN one pTOlOnSeu, dSOHlZllS
! scream The motorman instantly shut
off the current but the momentum OF
| the car carried it forward fully seventy
/ five feet before it came to a stop, having
I jumped the rails and lying diagonally
! across the two tracks. The victim was
not to be seen, being jammed under the
, forward trucks.
Telephone messages We're sent to the
| police station and coroner, wrecking
! car was sent out from the powerhouse
| and officials We're soon on the spot With
| the aid of jackscrews the car was lifted
| off the trucks, but still the body could
not be eXtricated. 1t could partially be
| seen by the aid of the Pickering torches
| lying wedged between the rear wheels of
| the truck and the heavy wooden fender
| This had to be unbolted from its fast
| enings and taken out before the remains
| could be eXtricated.
Coroner Campbell superintended the
| removal of the body. which WAS dragged
! to one side of the street an unrccoeniZ-
! able mass. Seldom is a human body seen
/ in a more terribly mangled condition.
! Nothing remained of the head but por-
ton of the lower jaw; the arms were
| crushed and the flesh stripped from the
| bones: the abdomen was ripped open
and the NiScera StreWn along the street
for twenty feet: one leg was crushed
( completely off and the other almost sew
/ cred. the flesh of the thigh being torn
! away in chunks, exposing the bone Not
! q piece of the skull was left larger than
the palm of the hand, and the brains
/ lay in lump some feet away under the
body Of the car, \ more sickening sight
! could Scarely be imagined Tufts of
hair We're scattered about, and the muir
q derous wheels were splashed with blood
+ and macerated flesh The fragments
We're gathered up placed in box and
! conveyed to the morcue Whert> an in
will ha h.i1 of
how the affair occurred is told as fol-
lows:
The deceased. Sabas E,scarza. with his
/ cousin, Tgnacio Navarez, another Mex
! lean named Jose Morales and ore un~
! known party had come into town from
/ Cucamonga where they reside The four
| We're taking in the town and brought up
at the old Wolf saloon on the southeast
corner OF Buena Vista and ord streets
There they had d drink ana went out
onto the sidewalk This was about $40
They stood there some minutes ard be-
came involved in quarrel Words
brought on blows and Morales struck
Sabas with bis fist.
This enraged the latter and he drew
knife and started for his assailant The
latter fled, drawing his own knife as he
; ran to defend himself should he be over
taken. Morales was a few feet ahead
/ and just escaped being hit by the car.
while Escarza was just in time to be
struck fairly by the headlight and pro-
iecting coupler With one despairing cry
he went under the wheels to his death
ana Morales fled down the street. He
appreciated what had happened. how
ever. and shortly returned to the spot
Officer Talamentes accOstcd MIN, ask
ing whether or not he was one of the dead
} man companions. when he started to
run away. He was captured and then
told the story of the fight as above de-
scribed, acknowledging that he had struck
/ FGScarXa first The patrol wagon was
called and he was sent to the station.
! where he is held on suspicion and as a
/ witness. NaElre corroDOrateS Morales
story as to the occurrence and Will be
present today to testify. Escarza was
40 years old and married, being q ranchel
at CucamOnga.
The motorman of the car. John Baier-
sky and the conductor, w A. Brown
We're interrogated, but could tell little
of how the thing happened. Baiersky
saw a man suddenly dash by in front
of the car. and Immediately following
him another follow. only, however, TO be
thrown under the wheels He instantly
shut off the power and set the brakes
The car kept the track for some distance
but finally in jolting over the BODY was
derailed. on the front seats or the car
were j. w. Mosher. a resident of Artesla
who was on his way TO visit relatives
| in Pasadena, and w. A. Hays Of No. ga
Sigler street. East Los Angeles. Mr.. Mo-
| sher saws that the car was running al
only fair rate of speed and that the mo-
torman was in no wise to blame for the
accident. The other passengers were
all inside or on the rear PLATFORM aho
! failed to see or realize what had nap
pened until the car left the track.