Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-05-13
HIS A CRUEL FATE.
Circumstances of the Tragic Kill
ing of Charles e. Calkins
Yesterday.
HELD BY CORONER.

Boy, Sent on an Errand, Attempts to Run
Before a westbound Bridge Line Car and
is Struck by Another Moving Eastward
The Story as Told by Motorman Mum
ford.
An inquisition into the cause of the
death of Charles Edward Calkins,
whose tragic killing by Bridge line
car was briefly chronicled in last
nights ARGUS, was conducted this
morning by Coroner l.. V. Eckhart at
his Office in the county building. The
Jury, which was composed C.. q.
johnson, foreman, John McHugh, II.
A. Cox. III. f. Foster, Ben Sears and
John w. Linn, after hearing the tes-
timony of a number of witnesses, re-
turned a verdict that the boy came to
his death ''by being run over by car
No. ~, of the Tri-City Railway com
pany, at or near the corner of Twen-
ty-first street and Third avenue, be-
tween the hours of 4 and 3 o'clock
May II, 1899"
Charles. with his mother and young
err brother, Earl, was spending the
afternoon at the home of his grand
mother, Mrs. Ann Russell, 30S Tween
ty-frst street. He was sent by his
mother to the grocery of Conrad
Schneider. on Twentieth street. One
car, No. Al, in charge of Motorman
Mat Peterson, was coming from the
west. This one the boy evidently
saw and was attempting to get on the
other side of the avenue before it
reached him, when he was struck by
car No. a, MOtorman John II. Num-
ford, eastbound. The story of Motor
man Mumford is that the first ne saw
of the boy was when he sprang from
behind a wagon that was hitched to a
post on the south side of the avenue
at Twenty-first street. The car was
going at a rate of five miles an hour.
Mumford states he imme-
diately threw off the current and
rang the gong and applied the brake.
He thought the little fellow saw him
and had time enough to get across the
track, as he was 30 feet away from the
ear when seen by the motorman. The
bow ran into the dashboard on the
right side, just below the brake
When the car was brought to a stand
still the lifeless body lay in front of
the rear life guard.
Other witnesses examined before
the coroner's jury were John b. Mey-
err, Conductor Frank 7. Henry, Louise
n. ID. Ely, Miss Clara Law
son, Motorman Mat Peterson, of Dav-
export, and Mrs. Mary Healey, of
Rock Island.
Condition of the Body.
The body was picked up and con-
veyed to Wheelan' undertaking rooms
in the patrol wagon, which was sum-
moned by Officer McCabe. Death
must have been instantaneous, as the
head was almost completely severed,
while the little arms were horribly
mutilated and the body crushed.
The victim of the deplorable acct
dent was the son of Mr.. and Mrs.
Fred w. Calkins, $40 Twenty-sixth
street, and was 8 years of age. Mr..
Calkins is head machilist in the shops
of the Tri-City Railway company at
Charles was bright and
child, of whom any parent
might have justly been proud. His
parents who have the sympathy of the
in their bereavement, are
nearly distracted over the tragic fate
Of their son.
The accident was particularly dis
tressing to General Manager Lardner,
Of the Tri-City Railway company, as
we'll as to the employees generally, not
only because of the regret that would
be naturally felt for SO deplorable an
occurrence, but because of the special