The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-09-13
RIDE STEALERS KILLED.
While Going to Seek Work They
Meet Their Doom.
BURIED IN A RAILROAD WRECK.

OfThirteen who Wore on Car Loud ed
With Machinery, and Which Was
lIThrown From the Track, Seven Met
Instant Death.
Van Buren. Ark. Sept. ia most
the Iron Mountain road at Hanson.
I. T., small station 20 miles west Of
Van Buren,. yesterday afternoon. re-
sulting In the death of seven men and
the serious injury of six others, two
of whom will die. The dead are Will
lam Fame, Charles Fame, Douglass
Anderson, John Johnson. Bore Hem
derson, Frank Hamilton and H. A..
Walton. The injured are George Caufr-
man, Jack Jones' James Phillips. Rob-
ert Eubanks. Charles Pender and
George Parker.
All Of the dead and wounded were
sent to Wan. with the exception Of
Walton's body, II being brought to this
place. where he has relatives living.
None Of the trainmen were hurt. The
wrecked train was local freight from
Coffeyville, Kan, to Van Buren. While
the train was running at speed OF
20 miles an hour the forward trucks
of one Of the cars near the engine
broke. wrecking IL cars loaded with
walnut logs and baled hay. With the
exception of two cars In front and
three cars in the rear including the
caboose, every car composing the train
was ditched.
In the middle Of the train was car
loaded with heavy machinery. and 1t
was In this car that 13 men were steal
ing ride and from which seven dead
and six seriously wounded were taken
by the trainmen shortly afterwards.
The occupants of the wrecked car were
party Of men and boys living at Wan,
I. T.. who were coming to Van Buren,
to find employment In tho cotton fields.
When the machinery car left the
rails 1t fell on its side, nearly all Of
the men being caught by the heavy
beams. cur of logs was piled on top
Of the one in which the men were rid
ing, and that any escaped instant
death is but little short Of miracle.
A message was sent to Trainmaster
Walsh, at this place. by the train crew,
uiu Az IHiHieOiutS'y OldEl GU pRt u
wrecking crew, and, with Division
Roadmaster Mcleod, went to the scene
of the wreck, taking with them Dr..
Debrill, the company's local surgeon at
this place. The first thing done was to
eXtrioate the dead and wounded, and on
account of the heavy logs and ma
chinery under which they were buried
the task was o laborious one, and it
was several hours before the last Of the
bodies was removed from the wreck.
One Of the dead, whose name Is un-
known, was found with his head mash
ed to pulp between the heavy logs.
his brains oozing out All the bodies
were crushed and mangled in q horrible
manner. Two of the dead were brought
here, William and Charles F'ain. Will
lam was found on one side Of the track
and Charles on the other, both crushed
almost out of semblance to human be-
ings.
The scenes at Wan when the dead
bodies of those who had resided there
arrived were affecting in the extreme.
The parents and other kin of the de-
ceased were at the depot when the
train came in. 1t will probably be sew
eral days before the wreck will have
been cleared away and the full extent
of the disaster revealed. Three men
are still missing, according to the
statements Of some of those who es-
capped. A large force Of men are at
the spot clearing away the wreckage.