The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-09-27
MET A HORRIBLE DEATH
Conductor Gregory Crushed to
Death Under the Cars.
WAS ~FRlGHTFULLY CUT UP
Three Cars and Two Engines Passed
Over the Body. Mangling 1t Almost
Beyond Recognition-was
Making a Coupling.

J. C. Gregory. a conductor Of a freight
train. running from Lima to Butte. met
a horrible death yesterday afternoon at
2:50 o'clock at Feeley station at the d.
vide. 1t is another one of those distress
ingly sad cases the exact facts of which
are never learned. 1t might have been
carelessness on the part of the victim;
it might nave been an unavoidable ac-
cident. No man saw him fall, no one
surmised anything wrong, until three
cars and two engines had passed over
the man, when his mangled body lay in
full view of the train crew.
From stories gathered from the sew
eral members of the crew the account
of the accident is put together in about
this way: An extra freight train of rs
loaded freight cars. in charge of Con-
ductor Gregory from Lima, had reached
the divide at Feeley station, where 1t
was to be backed on to a siding to clear
the main track for No. Z passenger
train from the south. The crew con-
sisted, besides the conductor, of N. b.
Whyers, engineer; Lewis Edwards, fire.
man.; j. w. Francis and ii. A. Sowle,
brakemen.
After crossing the crown, or apex, of
the divide the grade coming this way is
quite steep for a distance, and before
the full train had gone down far past
the SWITCH, over which it was to be
backed, the air was applied and in
stantly a coupling broke. The two en-
gines and three cars proceeded on down
for a short distance and the other %
cars stood still, automatic application
OF air bringing them to a sudden halt.
Gregory gave the necessary signal to
back up for coupling. Before proceed
ing to recouple the cars he walked bach
TO the switch and adjusted it so that
the train could be backed on to the
side track to allow the passenger to
pass. That done he stepped to the
coupling of the still car n signaled
to back up. The engineer did as or
dered. and that was the last time Greg
DRY was seen alive.
How he made the mistake is not
known. He had made probably thou
sands of couplings in the same way he
essayed to do ii then. But he did not
make the coupling yesterday, which
fact was made known after the cars
had been backed up and over the raise
of ground and on to the siding, where
the gravitation released the 25 cars
from the other three cars and engines
and at the same time the mangled form
of the due was seen, the three
cars and two engines having passed
over his body. The abdomen was torn
open, the right leg completely severed
from the body and the left arm hang
ing by shreds. His body was also cut
and bruised, but his face was not lacer-
ated.
In haste ar engine was sent to Butte
and Coroner Tremblay notified. The
coroner, undertakers. Attorney Alley
n others yer to the scene. leaving
the Montana Union depot at 500
o'clock last evening in a special in
charge of Agent William Gemmell. The
special made fast time and would have
reached this city earlier han it did had
it not been delayed at Silver Bow by a
ditched box car there. The return was
at IL 10 o'clock last night. The coroner
the crew to appear this morn
ing at 10 o'clock, when an inquest will
be held.
]. C. Gregory was an old-time rail-
having been in the service for
% years or more. He had been with
the Short Line but five months Prior
to that he was division superintendent
of the International & Great Northern
with headquarters at Palestine,
Texas. He was about so years of age
and leaves a wife at Lima, who tele-
last night to have the body
prepared for shipment to their old
in Toronto, Canada She will ar
rive in this city to-day. He was a
Mason of the 32d degree, besides n
of the o. R. c. Among his
effects taken in charge by the coroner,
were a number of papers showing his
in the orders named, due
cards. a small memoranda book con-
addresses of persons in Cam
ada. a small amount of money, a de-
post slip on the First National bank
Of Dillon for 1915. a Yale key and a
revolver, or rather a part
of a revolver. The weapon was cut in
two, the barrel and part of the chamber
being found in a pocket, the other parts
being imbedded in the flesh. Among
he papers were several scraps of ,
poetry copied in lead pencil. and one
which was particularly sug-
of the irony of fate. 1t read:
Happy the man and happy he alone.
He who can call to-day his own.
He who. secure within himself can say !
Tomorrow. do thy worst, for ! have !