The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-11-02


The cap belonging to the dead man
was found Immediately after he fell,
lying on the lower step of the car in the
place that had been occupied by his
feet. Many rumors were afloat regard
ing the cause of his falling. Some
thought he had been leaning over the
side looking ahead and had been
struck by the stringer. Others
were Of the opinion that he had allowed
his feet TO hang over the step and in
that manner had been dragged off. The
former theory is hardly probable, be-
move before falling and in order to lean
over far enough he would have been
compelled to stand up.
The second theory is no doubt er-
roneous for the reason that had his feet
been caught he would have made at
least feeble effort to save himself and
at the same time would have made an
outcry as he fell. on account of the
'mprobabllitles connected with these
two rumors there is only one tenable
suppostion, and that is that Joe Ess
vas sleeping when he fell. The posi-.
ton of the cap lying on the step leads
to- the belief that he had dropped his
head forward. The cap had fallen to
the step between his feet, and while in
that position the swaying OF the train
had caused him TO SO head foremost off
the train. His body would naturally
after striking the bridge TIMBER re-
bound toward the track and in the path
81 the swiftly rolling wheels. The fact
that the front wheels of the car on
which he was riding were the first to go
over the body strengthens the latter
theory. The body was
BADLY MUTILATED
the head and throat We're cut and the
balance of the body was a mass of cuts
and bruises. That he never realized
what killed him there is little doubt
Joe Hurford, of Thayer's band, said
to a News-Democrat representative:
After accepting the invitation to ride
| on the car, there was little or nothing
| said by Joe after leaving Louisville.
He was sitting below me and l paid
10 particular attention to him. We
| ran along at pretty lively rate till we
were near Stark Siding. Just as the
car started across the bridge / saw a
black streak go over the steps and the
| next second heard a crunching sound.
| | looked ahead of me again and then
| realized that Joe Ess, who, just sec
| ond before had been sitting in front of
me, was now a corpse. The train could
not be stopped till we got to Canton and
then the story of Joe's death became
known"
TAKEN HOME.
After the dead body had been found
1t was placed on the front car of the
train and taken TO Massillon.
The watch and cornet of the dead
man We're found battered and broken
near his body. The watch had stopped
at eleven minutes past one. mutely
| telling the time of the accident.
Mr. Ess was about SO years of age
and had host of friends in Canton and
Massillon. He was married and leaves
wife and one child, boy but a few
years OF age. brother of the dead
man was on the train at the time of the
| accident Mr.. Ess was employed in
Massillon in the haberdashery of Mr..
toltz. He was very popular with
every person with whom he became ac-
| luainted. The announcement of his
death was received in Massillon with
sorrow. The suddenness and the hor-
has cast pail of gloom over the entire
city.