The Holt County sentinel., 1898-12-16
UNDER The WHEELS.
A Former Holt Countyite Crushed
Undes the Wheels of Mis-
souri, Pacific Tram.

+, The body of the man killed by the
/ Missouri Pacific train in South st. 10
seph, Friday evening, December 9th.
, 1898. was identified the following morn
I ing as Fritz Schirrmeister, German
cook, who was residing on Franklin
street in that city. At the time of the
! accident he was walking beside tn
track with his head bundled up to pre-
! tect it from the extreme cold, and step.
ped in front of the train.
1t is supposed that Scheirmaster did
not hear the train coming. his actions
indicating as much. He was seen to
turn his head partly around, as though
picking his way, and at that instant ho
stepped upon the track. He had no.
more than reached the track before tho
engine struck him, hurting him to one
! side.
J The train was running at good rate
of speed. and was stopped as quickly as
f! possible. When the trainmen reached
! Scheirmaster he was dead. The body
was placed aboard the train and taken
back to the union passenger station. At
, that time the identity of the dead man
was not known, as there was nothing
about him by which he could be identi-
! fled.
Schirrmeister lived at il5 Franklin
/ street with his wife, and left home at
o'clock Friday afternoon to hunt rab-
bits. As he did not return Friday night
his wife was alarmed, and with one o.
! the neighbors went to the station to lool:
; at the dead man. She recognized her
husband. The body was afterward re
moved to Heaton's, where an inquest
was held at L o'clock Saturday.
An examination of the body showed
; that both legs were broken below tn"
knees, and that two toes had been cut
from one foot by the wheels of the train
The right arm was broken at the elbow.
and the head was terribly crushed. The
face and forehead were not even bruised
but the back of the skull was crushed
in, and the entire skull broken like an
eggshell. One jaw was broken. Ever
! the frontal bone was broken in several
places Two or three long gashes in the
back of the head show where the iron OF
the engine struck him and crushed out
his life.
Schirrmeister was carrying with him 4.
rifle, with which he intended to kill small
game. 1t was intensely cold and he had
wrapped his head up to prevent his ear,
from freezing. II is likely that he was
not aware that the train was coming. or
that danger was anywhere near him.
The unfortunate man had been resi-
dent of ST. Joseph for several years. He
was cook by trade and worked at sew
eral hotels. Up to about three months
ago he was assistant cook at the Metro
pole. Then he went to the Donovan
where he held the position of second
cook until three weeks ago. He was
about % years of age, and several years
ago married Miss May, the eldest daugh
ter of Thomas Miller of this county. O.
the Krmsey district, who without an
children survives him, and to whom W.,
extend our keenest sympathy. Tha
couple for year or so after their mar
riage resided in this county, and farmed
small tract of land in Hickory town
- ship, and then removed to st. Joseph.
The dead man carried 5000 life in
surance in the Modern Woodmen OF
America, in favor of his wife. He hat.
not been a member of the order very
long, and so far as is known now. was i'm
good standing at the time of his death.
The remains were brought to this city
on Sunday last, 1lth inst, where they
we're laid to rest in the Mapel Grove
cemetery.