The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-06-07
Lahiff Thrown From His
Bicycle and Killed.
He Was ScOrching With a
Trolley Car at the Time.
Struck on His Head and Died Shortly
After the Accident.

Austin Lahiff, 90 years of age, met
death suddenly Sunday afternoon about
o'clock. He was racing with street car
on Elmwood avenue short distance this
side of Roger Williams Park, when an
accident happened To his bicycle and he
pitched over the handle bars and fell on
bis head on the macadam road, receiving
mortal hurt.
The shock paralyzed his brain and he
died In few moments on the piazza of
Dr. Chesboro's house, where he mad been
taken for medical attention. DR.. Chts.
boro was not at home, but even If he
had been he could not have done anything
10 help the unfortunate. Young Lahiif
was popular resident of the Elmwood
district and lived with his widowed mother
and brother and sister at 10 ChamGerS
street He was in tho employ of Kirby
~ Mowry, manufacturing jewelers., as "A
chaser and was favorite with his fellow
workmen. The cause of the accident is
not determined exactly. IL Is believed by
some persons who saw the accident that
the wheel slipped on wet place in the
road and by others it is thought that the
young man might have been taken sud
denly sick and became unconscious from
heart failure or incapacitGted by other
physical ailment whi0h came upon him
suddenly. AT first IL was thought that
the fatality was due to tho breaking of "a
pedal, but as this broken part was found
near the wheel 1t is presumed that il was
broken of when the bicycle fell over nj
tor the rider had pitched headlong from
the wheel.
Lahiff was not novice on tho bicycle
and he was considered "A careful rider.
He had been the owner of "a bicycle about
two months. Saturday night he pur-
chased new bicycle suit and yesterday
morning about l0:30 o'clock he left home
with his new suit on for a spin in Roger
Williams Park. Just outside of the park,
beginning at the Consolidated railroad
bridge, the roadway is fairly steep, and
electric cars come bowling down from
the brow of the hill without the aid OF
been in the habit of putting on all the
force possible, scorching for quarter of
"A mile or SO, in races against the cars.
Lahiif was alongside car and George
Adams. the conductor, and Motorman
Gerlach saw that he was in for IA race.
The contest was we'll on when the carmen
saw the bicycle rider tumble headforemost
from his wheel, He struck the hard road
with "a terrible thump and laid motion
less where he had fallen. The car was
run back ana the hapless man was taken
TO DIR. Chesboro's office as soon as possible.
Young Lahiff was probably dead when he
was first picked up.
summoned viewed the remains and came
90 the conclusion that concussion OF the
brain was the immediate cause of death.
Little II any blood was she'd and tho only
outward injury was IA red bruise on the
left cheekbone whore the unfortunate
struck the ground.
The news of the distressing fatality
spread quickly and in few moments
there was a crowd at the scene. The sister
of the dead man visited the house and her
grief was heartrending. After recovering
from the shock she went home TO tell her
mother of the grief that had befallen. The
body was removed to tho house on Cham
bers street at O'Clock.