The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-03-22
A SINGULAR FATALITY

an Eastern Ohio Eamily-All We're
Railroadsrs and All Net Violent
Deaths.
@weli, Bill Miranda's dead, and he's
the last" was the word a big freight
brakeman brought to his fellows as he
swung from the south-bOund. local at
the Cleveland g Marietta railroad sta
ton, at Canal Dover Sunday night.
The fatality in railroad circles would
not have been so remarkable had It not
been that William Miranda is the last
son in a family of six who have met
their death successively on railroads.
There is strange tale that curse has
followed them. and the trainmen whis-
per about 1t in almost superstitlous
awe. With the death of the father and
the first two sons the other four boys
were seized with the belief that they
were to come to their death under car
wheels. No amount Of persuasion could
dissuade them from this theory. True
to their presentiment, three Of them did,
and Sunday William Miranda, a freight
brakeman on the Cleveland & Marietta
railroad. fell between the cars at Valley
Junction. and the wheels ground out
hts NE
The Mlrsndas lived south Of Canal
Dover, along the Cleveland & Marietta
railroad. Their father, James Miriam
da, was a railroad employee. and the
boys had been brought up in the bust.
ness. James Miranda was killed almost
twenty-elght years ago on the cleve-
land & Marietta. in a wreck. Frank
was the next, some years later. He
was fagman and was run down by his
own train. as he jumped from the ca
boose and ran before 1t as 1t was back
ing. John was the second son to die
under the wheels, while trying to make
a coupling. 1t was then that the Nil
randa boys began to believe that they
were all 10 die as their father and
brothers had gone. For a time they
quit rallroadlng, but as the superstition
wore Off trey again took freight runs,
but not on the Cleveland & Marietta.
Newton and Charles moved into thc
southern part of the state and were en-
ploycd as freight brakemen by the c. &
s. railroad.
Newton was the first to 30. He was
Killed In n wreck on the C.>& S., near
Cincinnati. Charles remained in the
employ Of the road, and two years after
met his death under the wheels in try
ing to board his own train. William,
who was killed Sunday was the last
Miranda boy. he had been braklng on
the Cleveland & Marietta for several
years, but has chung to the belief that
he would dc on the road. OF late h.
has been Respondent and his comrades
believed tho end was near. AS his traia
rounded 4 curve at Valley. Junction
Sunday. william was walking over the
cars. The sharpness of the turn threw
him between two cars and the remain
der of the train passed over his body
crushing out his life.
The grandmother Of the Miranda boys
who has been dead several years, fell
downstairs and broke her neck A son
of Newton, who was also railroad
man. was killed on the c. & s. railroad.
and. strangely enough, almost at the
gaute spc3 Blg tstheF met his death. AM
other son of Newton's, who was a fire.
man on the c. & S. railroad fell with
his engine through trestle and was
killed instantly. John Miranda had
son drowned.
The mother OF the Miranda boys is
the only one left OF the family, She is
aged and feeble.