Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1897-12-16
Crushed By The Cars.
GROUND TO PIECES UNDER A
CHICAGO & ALTON TRAIN
NEAR THOMPSON.
The Unfortunate Man Supposed to be
Samuel Fl. Mayne, Whose Home
Was at Princeton, Iowa-Had
Some Money on Him.

a man was instantly killed aud ground
to pieces by Chicago & Alton train
near what is known as the Hopewell
church crossing, 116 miles east of
Thompson. About 1880 O'Clock next
morning while Ed. Rodhouse was GO
ing to work in his corn field he found
a part of the remains of man on the
@. & A. track east of the Hopewell
crossing. He went to Thompson and
notified Coroner Rodes of the death.
The coroner went to the scene of the
accident Immediately and found a
horrible sight. There were pieces of
human flesh, brains and clothing
strewn along the track for quarter
of mile.
After careful searching letter was
discovered, which was addressed to
Sam'l H. Mayne, Spencer, Ia. In the
letter, which was written by G. W,
Pumeo, from Princeton, Ia, and dated
Nov. 10. 1897, was found reference to
the receivers mother; also to several
children, supposed to be the dead
mans. The letter spoke as though
the dead mans mother, living in
Princeton, was becoming very short
of available cash, but that there was
an estate in which she and her son,
the dead man, were jointly inter
ested, and if Mayne did not return or
show mis- Willingness to the sale of
some notes, his mother would soon be
in a fix in which she would be depend
ent on others for living. The letter
spoke of several children who were
becoming nearly old enough to pro-
vide for themselves; one, girl, lives
at Davenport, Ia. There was no
actual proof that the letter had be-
longed to the dead man, but there
was stamp of Spencer, Iowa, halter
in his cap and the letter was taken
out of the Spencer post office.
In the pockets of the dead man
and scattered along the track was
found 1851. His underclothes were
of the best and he wore good cap,
boots overshoes. He wore three
top shirts and two coats, one being
canvas; he also had on four pairs of
pants, the top ones being a pair of
new overalIs.
After the coroner returned to Mexi-
CO he telegraphed the writer of the
letter in Princeton, Ia, of the mans
death.
1t will probably never be known
just how the man came to his death,
but it would seem that he had fallen
from moving train by the facpthat
there was evidence that his body
had struck the cattle guard on the
west side of the Hopewell crossing,
knocking a board loose; he also hit
the one on the east side and spattered
it with his brains. AS evidence that
he was simply struck by the train ii
may be said that the man was seen in
Thompson the previous day by R. A
| Daniel, who thinks that he sold him
some tobacco.
The remains were brought to Mexi-
co Thursday and taken to Lupton's
undertaking rooms.
The man looks to be about 35 years
old, has black hair, reddish mustache
and about two weeks growth Of
beard. He weighed probably 1s(
pounds, being about average heighth
In his pockes were two souvenir
coins, one an aluminium piece W.
pictures of the Ferris Wheel anu the
Administration building on opposite
sides. The other was a Fairbanks
scales souvenir coin.
A Aspecial to the Republic from Chi
cago, under the date of December 8
reads as follows:
CHICAGO, Dec. "a human foo
with long steel nail driven through
the great toe was found upon truci
of the Pullman coach, Miltiades, {
through sleeper attached to the Den
yer express of the Alton road, when /
came into Union Station this morning
at O'Clock. The foot was the righ
foot of man. 1t was bare and thu
blood upon it was fresh. The Pullman
car was the only coach on the trail
upon which there were any bloot
stains, and ahead of it were coaches
which had been taken on at st. Loui
and other points The engine, too, hat
been changed at Bloomington, Ill. 81
soon as the discovery was made th
officials reported the matter and in
quiries were made along the road.
The right foot is missing and to-
one found upon the truck in this cit,
undoubtedly belonged to the body a
Mexico. The supposition is tina
Mayne, or whoever the victim is, wa
nailed either dead or alive to one O
the ties with the steel nail and ru
over by the train. Princeton, 10
could not be reached by wire o-nigh'
No credence is given to the abov
sensational report in this vicinit!
The fact that q steel nail was drive
through the great toe of the foot foun
on the car in Chicago is but slim evl
dence that a crime had been com