The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-08-10
ANOTHER KILLED.
Number Three
on the Norwich
Railroad.
THE BODY WAS BADLY MANGLED.
Man May Be John Carrigan
of Somersworth n. H.
A Society Wedding.
THE BODY WAS BADLY MANGLED.

Webster, Aug. 9.-Barly this morning
another accident occurred when man
supposed to be Patrick Corrigan of
Somersworth, N. H, was killed on the
Norwich and Worcester division of the
New York, New Haven and Hartford
railroad. This makes three fatalities
within two days on this road.
This morning, at about o'clock, a
man walking on the railroad tracks
making for Webster, where he intend
ed to secure a job at II. w. Skaters
North Webster cotton mills as a mule
spinner He left Worcester about mid
night the night before, and had walked
the ties toward Webster.
Following the railroad tracks all the
way, he had narrow escape near Ok
ford, by the same train that killed
Corrigan an hour or so before. AS he
trudged along he did not take his eyes
from the rails, always on the lookout
for a stray nickel or dime that might
have been dropped by some of the
train crew, and although he heard a
putting train approaching him in the
distance, he did not take any notice of
it until he was nearly run down, when
he had just time to jump
He continued on his way and came
into the. Webster yard about 2 o'clock.
He had got down to the junction,
where all incoming trains are obliged
TO STOP when he noticed what he
thought was a bag of rags lying on
the tracks just above the old stone
structure near the Boston and Albany
depot.
Upon approaching he made out the
outlines of a human form, and hurried
quickly on.
He hurried to the depot, where he
impaired the news of his discovery to
Daniel Sullivan, the night telegraph
operator. "Sully' was unable to leave
his post of duty, but told the man to
inform the police.
The man gave his name to "Sully"
as F. H. Smith of Connecticut. He said
he had no special home. Smith was
some time in locating the police, and
by the time he had informed them and
they in turn had awaken the authori-
ties, it was quite late.
While Smith was giving the alarm
and getting the officials out Of their
warm beds, the news that the midnight
extra had killed man at Webster was
being flashed over the wires to head
quarters by Operator Sullivan, and not
until the extra was returning from
Worcester did the crew know that they
had ended human career. The dis
patch caught them just as they were
leaving South Worcester.
The officials were awakened and then
The Spy man, but the reporter did not
reach the scene in time to catch the
morning edition, although he was the
first newspaper man on the scene.
When he arrived there was only a
group of trainmen huddled together at
some distance away from the body dis
cussing the accident Those in author
ity had not yet arrived.
The freight that did the work had
stopped just the other side of the body,
and Conductor Tefft refused to go on
or touch the body until the proper au-
thorities gave orders to remove the
body from the rails. The train was
held nearly an hour while the regular
'.nigger" freight was a couple of hours
late in reaching Worcester.
Chairman Maurice P. Clare of the
Webster board of selectmen and Fran
els Mccoy of the Dudley board, with
DR.. ]. 8. Genereux, viewed the re-
mains. Beyond a doubt the man had
been killed by the cars in an accidental
manner, and at that time the body was
cold, and consequently orders were CIV
en- to remove it from the tracks, and
the freights were allowed to pass.
gheriff Glare assisted in removing the
remains, and he also performed the
gruesome duty of carrying a severed
limb some go feet and placing it on the
body.
The train that did the work was an
extra, 9S4, in charge of Conductor
Dwight Tefft and Engineer Byron
Peck, bound to Worcester from Nor
witch. 1t passed through Webster at
1926. and that is the time that the ac-
cident occurred.
The investigation showed that the
mans death was not caused by any
negligence Of the train crew. The mar
laid across the tracks on the fireman's
side but at that spot he was engaged
in coaling up and did not see the form
across the rails.
The Webster correspondent of The
Spy, with Sheriff Clare Selectman Nc
Coy and DR.. Genereux thoroughly
looked the ground over. 1t was aseer-
tanned that the dead man had walked
up the tracks, and when he passed the
stone house had stopped to vomit He
was probably drunk and fell across the
tracks. where he fell asleep. He prob
ably never knew what killed him.
The first evidence OF the awful fatal
ity was the vonit and the mans brown
derby hat. A little beyond was por.
ton of the left leg, and a trife fur
Their was found the other leg. The
arm. completely severed at the Shout.
der, was found close to the mangled re.
mains. The mans head was complete.
ly scalDed from the eyes, and botf
shoes had been torn from the feet.
The victim was dragged, according tt
Sheriff Clare's measurement, Sc feet
The train had run over him seYera
times and had continued to drag hin
along for nearly 20 yards, manglint
him in terrible manner.
The dead man was about IS years
old and would weigh 140 pounds. Hi.
hair was dark and he wore a small
black mustache. He was dressed in {
checked coat and vest of brown mate
rial. His shirt was a black and whit,
striped affair. He had on a pair Of
overalls under his trousers, which wer,
brown. He wore a brown derby ha'
and black congress shoes.
Sheriff Glare searched the man,
pockets for means Of Identification HI
found ticket which read Patrick Cor.
rigan and showed that this Corrigar
had worked at North Webster mills
last May. A balance of 81. 35 was drawn
by him on May 10, 1899 A set of spin.
ner's tools was found in the hip peck.
ct. A black handle jackknife was
picked up near the corpse. A blank pax
ticket dated Pawtucket, r. l., was
found rear by, but this is not thought
TO have belonged to him.
There is no positive Identification n,