The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-05-18
MANGLED
Two Men Struck by Santa Fe
Freight on Tenth Street
THEIR NAMES UNKNOWN
Dragged a Block in Wreck by
the Engine.
THEIR NAMES UNKNOWN

A terrible accident, in which two men
were MORALLY injured, occurred at the
Tenth street crossing of the Santa Fe at
II O'clock last night They were struck
by the engine Of an extra freight train
and both terribly mangled, and at l O'Clock
this morning one man was barely breath
ing and the other was thought to be be-
yond nope Of recovery. Their names could
not be learned. They were apparently
farmers, and had nothing on their per-
sons by which they could be identified.
An extra freight pulled by engine No
80 had whistqed for the Tenth street
crossing, and the victims Of the collision
were driving at a rapid gait from the east
across Ninth street crossing, but instead
Of keeping on Ninth street they turned
their horse north on Fifth avenue and
attempted to re-cross the track at Tenth
street. The horse got clear of the track,
but the engine struck the buggy squarely,
tearing it loose from the horse and de-
molishing it completely. The younger one
OF the men was struck squarely at the
crossing and thrown clear Of the track,
but the other man was carried under the
trucks nearly to Ninth street, where the
train was stopped and his mangled body
picked up and placed in a box car. The
body of his comrade was picked up and
carried down the track and laid upon the
ground. The larger man was injured the
worst and his death was expected almost
any moment. and the physicians say there
is no hope for the other.
Drs. Minnick and Purdue were sum
moned to the scene, and they ordered the
bodies removed to st. Francis hospital,
which was only a block distant The
physicians gave 1t as their opinion that
neither Of the men would live, and would
probably die before morning. The larger
man was broken almost to pieces. Both
his legs were broken, chest caved in chin
fractured and deep wound was on the
temple, and blood oozing from his ears.
There seemed to be Internal hemorrhage
to such degree that his breathing seemed
as though it would cease at every breath.
The smaller man was so bruised and
mangled up that Il will be impossible for
him to last twenty-four hours. His legs
were both broken, arms fractured and his
skull fractured on the left side until al
most the entire skull was movable. The
physicians took pieces of fractured skull
out of the wound in the left side of his
head and brains oozed out of the wound
after the pieces were removed.
Where the body Of one OF the men was
carried along the track after the train
struck him there was a stream of blood,
and where the men lay after the accident
great pools of coagulated blood were left
TO mark the place OF the terrible tragedy. |
Not many persons were attracted by the |
accident. as it was very late, and the scene
was too horrifying for many to gaze upon;
and those who lived near the scene of the |
accident could not tell much Of the affair |
Mrs. Francis Staten, a colored lady who |
lives next TO the track on Ninth street |
was the only eyewitness who could be |
found last night who would talk She |
said: 81 was sitting just by my window |
before going to bed and saw these two |
men drive past. They were driving 50 !
rapidly and Tecklessly that I watched /
them. After crossing the track at Ninth /
street the horse turned north and ran at |
the side Of the track to Tenth. 7 heard |
the engine whistle a warning. but the |
drivers apparently paid no attention to it. |
ran IN the track by this time and saw
whether the horse was running away or !
not. It was running pretty fast. though /
The body Of one of the men and the buggy
was carried to where you see it here"
Mr.. Staten ran TO the door and saw the !
train strike the vehicle. He said he heard
the engine whistle the usual warning. and /
said that the men had ample time to get
their horse away from the track. The
engineer said he whistled, and would have
slowed up, but he had no idea that the
men were going to try to cross the track
again
The two victims OF the collision had the
appearance Of laboring men, and it is
thought they were farmers returning
home. but who had for some reason de-
cided 10 return to the city. The larger
man was dressed in his shirt sleeves and
Wore a white sombrero. All he had in
his pockets was a pocketknife and a 10
cent piece and a little patent medicine
book on which there was no writing The
smaller man wore coat and vest and a
small black hat. There was nothing in
his pockets but a pocketknife.
At O'clock this morning it was re-
ported that one Of the men was William
O'Connor. and worked for Mr. Stcadman
at Sedgwick. Nothing could he learned
further by any Of the officials
CHARGED WITH PERJURY