The Wichita daily eagle., 1897-08-19

Yesterday afternoon at SIS Morgan
Robertson, residing at 535 Pearl avenue.
| stepped on the Rock Island track near
! Fifteenth street and Mead avenue and
was nit by a local sou;h5ound freight
train. He was thrown 20 one side ot
the track. The train was stopped and
ne was picked up in an unconscious
condition and placed on cot in the ca
boose and brought down 80 the station.
Mr.. Hal s. Ray telephoned for DR..
| Oliham and Officer Fox sent for the
patrol wagon. Robertson was taken out
Of the car and put on the stretcher and
taken 70 the city hospital
DR.. Oldham. the company's physician.
| assisted by Drs. Purdue and Hoffman.
made an examination and dressed his
wounds They found tina; ne had COM
pound fracture OF the right arm and
that the left leg was broken just below
the knee joint. His back and side were
bruised and he had very serious scalp
wound. which necessitated five stitches
His right eye was badly swollen and
was turning black The doctors could
not find any fracture of the skull but
his heavy breathing gave every ind!ca-
ton Of conclusion OF the brain. The
doctors have no hopes OF his recovery.
Al midnight he had not resained con-
sciousness although he Vas breathing
heavily.
Robertson is a man about 90 years OF
age and has been troubled with St Vitus
dance. c. NJ Bucher. the engineer. said
yesterday that Robertson stepped into
the middle Of the track when the train
was within sixty feet OF aim Fireman
r. Kendall was ringing the bell at the
time. Mr.. Bucher blew the whistle and
reversed and put on the Air breaks but
could not stop in time 70 avoid hitting
him. Nobody but the engineer and fire.
man saw the accident. They say that
Robertson was coming from the east 10
ward his home. and il looked to them as
If he deliberately stepped in front or
the oncom.ng train.
Robertson has lived here for num-
Der OF years and has worked on the
streets and for the street car company
and for the Dold Packing company as
a common laborer. He is married man
and has a wife and five chiliren. He
has been separated from his wife for
the past four years and has been batch
ing in a small four-room house on Pearl
street. His wife and four of the chill
dren are said to be living on farm in
Harper county. He has a son Frank
who is abou, Is years of age working
:
For the pas; two or three years Rob
ertson has done no work and i Is
thought ne derived his support from
married sister living in Iowa. she send
ing him a monthly allowance. He has
been afflicted with ST. Vitus dance and
al times when he would start 20 run
would come 10 a sudden sop and very
near fall over Although he IS not hard
OF hearing. the neighbors think he got
on the track. and seeing .he train COM
ing, had an attack OF s.. Vitus dance
and could not get off in time 20 save
himself. He is not a drinking man and
bears the reputation OF being a gOoG
naigh5or though ne seems 20 prefer to
ne by himself. Only a few days ago he
purchased a cheap horse and told his
neignbor, Mr.. Gibson, that ne thought ne
would 90 peddling.
When ne was taken 10 the hospital he
had on a faded blue shirt with a STRIP
of a dark color. His blue ovsralls were
well worn and had become Of a whitish
tinge along the legs. His right shirt
sleeve was saturated with blood from
the wound and dripped 10 the bed Of he
patrol wagon making pool OF blood.
The matron a. the hospital was tele-
phonei 10 at > O'Clock this morning and
she thinks he can't live very long.