Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-01-25
HORRIBLY MANGLED,
Frank c. Kicker Killed by Cars,
tuesday Morning.
Struck by Freight Between Bridge
and Bridge Street.
Remains Then Scattered Along Over Mile BY
Pullman No. ~.

| Hurled to death beneath the merci
| les; wheels OF one train, and, a lifeles:
body dragged, for nearly mile ant
! mutilated and dismembered beyond
semblance of human being by an
| other, briefly tells the story of a
| tragedy that was enacted at the upper
end of the Maine Central freight yard
in this city, soon after midnight. Mon
day night.
Augusta has in the past been the
scene of several accidents whereby hu-
man lives have been sacrificed upon
that railroad track. but none have been
so revolving in detail or occasioned
such widespread horror as the one in
question. AS yet there is an air of
mystery surrounding the affair. for no
light upon it. except as far as the iden-
tification of the dead man is concerned
The first evidence that an accident
had occurred was the discovery about
o'clock, Tuesday morning, by VIM.
Cloutier. who drives a team for the
Domestic bakery. Mr.. Cloutier keeps
his horses on the cas-; side of the river.
and is in the habit of crossing on the
railroad bridge. When crossing the
bridge over Water street, Monday
morning. his foot struck something on
the track, and on STOPPING to find out
what it was he was Mortified to find in
his grasp a mutilated human wrist
and hand.
An immediate search was made on the
track. which resulted in the discovery
Of a small quantity of clothing, flesh.
fragments of bone. ETC.. damned in
switch, just north of the Bridge street
crossing, and surrounded by a pool of
blood that told. in a way that words
could not express. that a human life
had there gone forward to the great be-
yond.
Following up the track toward the
bridge. the searchers found further evil
dences that body had been dragged
by train. each. revolution of the
wheels tearing and rending the body
and strewing it piecemeal along be-
tween the ties.
This continued until a small culvert
on the east side OF the river. near the
mill of the Cushnoc Fibre Co. was
reached, when about all that was left
Of the body, including a portion of the
head and trunk. dropped between the
rails and the train passed on. Some
small fragments of flesh were found at
Whitney brook. nearly two miles from
the scene of the accident.
Ii is seldom that a human body is SO
completely dismembered as was this
one. and it is doubtful if identifica-
ton would have been perfected as
speedily in this case. had it not been
for the color of the hair. and papers
found In the pockets OF the clothes. j
AS it was, it was soon found that the
body was that of Frank C. Kicker. who
lives in the locality known as the
Whitney brook, near Pettingill's Cor
ner. Kicker was man As years of age.
short, stout, with red hair ana NOUS
tache. and rudy complexion. He was
a native of Vassalboro. and had a
brother in Skowhegan, and one in
Hancock.
Kicker was unmarried, and made his
home with Mrs Mary J. Smith. with
whom he had boarded for number OF
years. He was an employee of the Cush-.
noe Fibre Co.. and had worked at that
mill for some time. Previous to this he
was employed by the Maine Central in
the section department.
1t was at first thought that Train No.
Il. which leaves Augusta at 1.35 A. NJ,
had killed the man at the switch and
his lifeless body over the
bridge to the place where the last frag-
ments were found, but later in the day,
after an examination of the locomo-
t!ves OF the night trains had been
made. blood was found upon that of
Train No. 20. a freight that goes west
from Augusta at 1886.
Therefore. 1t appears that the man
must have been struck by this train
when at the west end of the railroad
bridge and draggeu toward the station
until the body caught in the frog of
the switch near Bridge street, and was
dropped. Then, after laying there
about one hour, 1t was picked
up by No. Il and dragged over the
bridge
This supposltion Is rendered more
reasonable by the fact that the mans
cap was found ON the ice beneath the
bridge. and also that a large pool of
blood at the switch was evidence that
the body must have laid some time at
that point. There was no blood any
where else. Except where the head was
found. although the intervening space
was strewn with scraps Of bone. flesh
q nd clothing