The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1901-05-30
DIED FROM
HIS INJURIES

PhoenlXVllie. IA, may -!-I
was held up by two men who de.
mandcd tobacco. | handed them
what had and then knew nothing
until found myself lying between
the rails with both Of my legs cut
off"
So declared Charles Detwiler be-
fore he died in the PhoeniNyille
Hospital few minutes before mid
night last night. There is no
known motive for his having faced
eternity with lie on his lips, and
his words being true, Chester couu.
ty has been the scene OF one OF the
most dastardly crimes in the history
OF the State.
Detwier, who was the son of Mrs.
Alexander McCarrah, of Phoenix.
vile, and whose father, Isaac Det-
wiler, was one OF town best known
residents. lived at Spring City, four
miles north of PhoeniXville. About
5 o'clock Tuesday morning Jacob
Yost, farmer living near the track
of the Pennsy vania Railroad be.
tween Spring City and Parkerford,
heard some one bly, calling Tor
help
The sound came from the direc-
ton Of the tracks, and Mr.. Iost
ran toward them. Half sitting,
half lying between the rails, he
found young Detwiler, with one OF
his legs crushed from above the
knee down and the other severed
midway between the knee and the
ankle. The Injured man was weak
from loss of blood.
Realizing that medical assistance
was Immediately necessary, and
knowing that a train bound for
Phoenixville " as due at Parkeriord
a mile distant, IN lew minutes,
Mr.. Yost summoned Eli lsett, a
neighbor, TO watch at Detwller's
side, and hurried to the station.
Stopping the train, he told the crew
what had happened, and when the
train reached the place where the
injured man lay the latter was
placed on board and taken to Phoe-
uiXville.
At the hospital it was found nee
essary to amputate both Of Detwi-
Ter s legs. DR.. J. G. Shoemaker
performed the operation, assisted
by DR.. W. D. Shracn. resident
physician Of the hospital. Before
being placed under the influence OF
ether Detwiler explained to DR..
Shoemaker how he came to be found
where he was.
ii attended a dance at Spring
City, he said. land escorteda lady
living at Parkerford home after
, ward, We took the midnight train
from Spring City until morning and
decided TO wall: three miles rather
than wait. got as far as the be-
| ginning OF the big bend when was
held up by two men. One oil them
demanded tobacco aud pulled GU!
the package had and handed 1t to
him The fext thing knew nothing
and when l came TO was lying on
the track.
Detwilerrepeated this story, add.
ing that he had been robbed by the
men who assaulted him. His first
question OF Mr., lsctt, one OF the men
who first saw him OF the track re-
lated to his money,
"Wll you see If | have all my
money! was the question.
Mr., Isett told him 10 wait until
he got 20 the hospital and they
would tell him there how much
money he had in his pockets. At
the hospital it is understood he
claimed 10 have had 81 and few
cents when he started to walk down
track. But y cents was found in
his clothes.
After the operation. which was
performed at q o'clock Tuesday
morning, Detwiler rallied and his
recovery was hoped for, Fifteen
hours later. however. he collapsed
and died within ten minutes.
Dctwicr, who was only 2years
old. was employed in the meat store
owned by William Rice, at Spring
City. lie was popular in both tina
place and Roycrsford, just across
the river, and in phoenixyllle, where
he was born and raised, and tht
dastardiy crime which he, dying
asserted was the cause OF his death
has reused the deepest Indignation