The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-05-17
CARS KILLED HIM
SANTA FEE TRAIN RUNS OVER
w. j. WEAVER.
Accident Occurred at Valley Center.
Lives at Hutchinson.

A mangled corpse, identified as the body
Of Walter I Weaver, was found yester-
day morning on the Santa Fe tracks a
short distance south of the depot at
Valley Center. The body was found by
the section men as they were going to
work. 1t was lying on the right hand
rail with head north and face up. The
wheels had first passed over the body
from the right ankle and then diagnally
over the body from the right hip to the
! left shoulder The body was crushed but
not cut through and the condition Of the
remains LED to the belief that not more
| than one car and certainly 5ot the en-
| CINE had sapsed over the body. What
| seems to be the plausible theory as to
! how the accident occurred is that Weav-
er was riding on the trucks of the rear
car Of the north bound passenger train
which leaves Wichita at 500 p. m. and
had fallen of.
AS soon as the body was found Coroner
McColister and Sheriff Simmons were
notified and at once went TO Volley Cen
ter. In one Of the packets was found a
letter addressed to Walter t. Weaver at
Wichita and was dated 2l3 C. East,
Hutchinson. May 1, and signed IN. bye
bye" 1t referred to the boys having gone
to school and to having received money
order which ha devidently been sent by
Weaver. Coroner MeCoIiister at once
telephOned to the address given in the
letter, but the telephone company said
they were unable to find the lady who
lived there. The coroner then directed
the body to be shipped TO Wichita until
it could be learned what disposition the
relatives wished made of it In the
afternoon Mr.. McColister was called up
by man who said he was a brother
in law of Viewers and that the body
would either be sent to Hutchinson or to
Mcpherson Later the same man called
up again and requested the body sent to
Hutchinson, but It had already been put
on the train for Wichita, so was brought
here and placed in charge of Undertaken
Mueller
1t was found that Weaver had been
rooming at 146 North Main and had been
in this city for some time trying to get
a job working at his trade as painter and
paper hanger.
Mrs. McNab, who runs the rooming
house, said that Weaver had been occu-
plying one of her rooms for about
month. He was a small slightly built
man, dressed in a neat black suit and
seemed to be having a very hard time in
finding work. He was in destitute cir
cumstances and was behind with hts rent
She also thought that he rarely had
money enough TO buy a meal and fire.
quenuy begged his food She had heard |
him speak of his wife and family I'm
Hutchinson and thought he had called his |
wife Nera. He went away last Thursday |
and did not come back until Monday /
night. when he slept in his room, but |
went away again the following morning |
Mrs McNab said that when Weaver went |
away Tuesday morning he seemed to be |
partially out Of his right mind and acted !
rather strangely.
II is supposed that he was in the city |
all day Tuesday and hadstarted for !
on the night train The body |
was found at TIE place where the brakes /
are usually applied to slow down for the |
Frisco crossing. Weaver must have been |
riding in the trucks and, when the brakes /
were put on, the jar threw him off.