The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-28
THE DEATH OF TRAYFORD.
Evidence Seems TO Disprove the The
DRY that He Was Racing.

1t is evident that for some reason the
persons who best know how George Tray
ford met death at the Newman-street
crossing of the Big Four Railroad Wednes-
day night are inclined to withhold the true
statement of facts. After the accident &C.
Cured William Grose, the engineer of the
engine which killed Trayford. talked about
the case and. while he did not say that
he was on the engine at the time, he led
his hearers to believe he was, but dis
claimed knowledge of the affair saying
that Trayford was on the firemans side of
the engine. 1t has since been learned that
Grose was not on the engine He got of
at the Observation-Disclosures station and
left his fireman to retufh the engine to
the roundhouse at Brightwood.
When the accident occurred there were
freight cars on a side track flush with the
roadway on either side of the street At
this crossing there are three tracks. The
one furthest south is a side track, the
middle one is used by trains going west
and the north track is used by trains 60
south track, in such a position as to COM
pletely shut off view of the two main
street from the south. These cars were
moved about 10 o'clock Wednesday night
after the accident. On the north side houses
are built close to the tracks, so that the
view is shut Off
The firemans story was that Trayford
was racing with the engine In such a
case he would be in the cinder path south
of the track used by the engine. The fire.
man said Trayford attempted to cross to
the north of the track ahead OF the en-
CINE. There We're no witnesses to be found
yesterday who saw Trayford in the cinder
path. Some girls employed In the keyless
lock factory close by say that they saw
Trayford coming from the north The fam
lily of Trayford say that he was coming
from the north. He had been at work on
Al n
and quit shortly before o'clock. His wife
understood that, after he quit work, he In
tended going over on Hillside avenue to
see about employing a man to help him
the next day. According to this he would
have been coming south on Newman street
when killed. He could have had no reason
to ride far south the Massachusetts
avenue station, where he would have taken
the cinder path had he been racing with
DRY is that "cut-off, or switch, extends
from one main track to the other at a
distance of about $50 feet from the New
man-street crossing. A cyclist would be
compelled to dismount here and had he
been racing with the engine from the
Massachusetts-aV station he would
have been distanced by the delay of dis
mounting. Another argument against the
racing theory is that Trayford was just
been man of too much sense to under
take so hazardous a thing as racing with
an engine when he had such poor control
of his bicycle
Mrs. Aberly who lives in the second
house east of Newman street, south of the
railroad, says she saw the accident The
railroad tracks are about three feet above
the lots along there. Mrs. Aberley says she
stood on her porch and saw the accident
under the line of freight cars. She was not
certain which way the bicyclst came from.
She saw him just at the moment he was
struck. She ran out and saw that he was
killed and returned to the house for a sheet
with which to cover the body.
Mrs. Aberley and others are positive that
the bell on the engine was not sounded.
They are also, positive that the electric
bells, which are supposed TO work auto
maticaliy on the approach of a train, did
not ring.