The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1902-02-06
Miss Minnie ThOmey, OF Pleasant Prai-
rie, Has a Most Remarkable Es-
cape From Instant Death.
GREETED WITH CHEERS AND TEARS
Young Woman Attempts to CROSS the Rail-
way Tracks and Vehicle is Struck by
Past Mail.-Escapes Unbruised.

The most thrilling railway accident
that has ever occurred in Kenosha
county occurred shortly after four
O'Clock Wednesday afternoon when
Miss Minnie Thomey, a daughter Of
Mrs. Mary Thomey, of Pleasant Prairie
had the strange experience of being in
a vehicle which was struck by a fast
mail train running more than fifty
miles an hour and yet escaped un-
scratched. The escape of Miss
Thomey is considered by railway men
as the most remarka BILE on record.
The accident caused the greatest ex-
element ever seen in the city and the
passengers of the train who had wit
messed the terrible hazard of the
young woman climbed from the
coaches and mingled shouts and tears
in their Joy over her deiverance.
The accident occurred At the Ashland
avenue crossing of the North Western
road. Miss Thomey had been visiting
with friends IN the city and shortly be-
fore four o'clock she had started for
her home four miles south of the city
in the town of Pleasant Prairie. AS
she was approaching the railway
crossing she noticed a train coming in
the distance, but she decided that it
would be perfectly safe to attempt to
cross the tracks and she drove on.
The train approaching was the fast
mail train which makes the run from
Chicago to Kenosha in an hour and
five minutes.
The train was seven minutes behind
time and on this account all the valves
had been opened and it was bearing
down the track at a terrific speed.
The engineer saw the young lady driv-
ing to the track and the whistle was
sounded but the warning was too late.
The old engineer then reversed the
air breaks and turned his head away
to avoid the sight of the terrible acct
dent which seemed so certain. A min
ute later the train struck the vehicle
with crash, tearing it into hundred
pieces and scattering the debris along
the tracks.
AS soon as possible the train was
engineer 1eaped from the cab and
walked to the front of the engine and
saw the robes and cushions of the
buggy on the cow catcher. They
looked for the woman but she was no
where in sight.
Looking back to the scene of the &C
cident the engineer saw the young lady
- Of q
accident. With a mighty shout of joy
he 1eaped back into the cab and pulled
the train back to the scene of the acct
dent. Then the passengers saw the
miraculous escape the young woman
had had and crawling from the coaches
they gave cheer after cheer for the es-
cape of Miss Thomey.
In the meantime the young woman
had brushed the snow from her frock
and with the aid of people residing in
the neighborhood was walking over to
a house near the track. The passen-
gers hurried to her assistance and the
young woman was simply carried to
the house. Later DR.. Robinson, who
was on the train, made an examina-
I1Ou dUu IOuuQ lAdl w u1IC miss
Thomey was still frightened and shiv-
ering, she escaped absolutely unhurt.
1t is supposed that the young lady
owes her life to the fact that she had
presence of mind enough to roll from
the rig inst before it was struck by the
engine. Miss Thomey seems to have
lost consciousness in her fright, but
an eye witness of the accident states
that just before the engine struck the
vehicle the young woman fell out of
the buggy.
The wreck of the buggy was COM
plete. The wheels and all the gears
were broken into small pieces, while
pieces of the top of the vehicle were
hurled nearly hundred feet from the
tracks. The horse was far enough
from the track to escape and the only
in jury done the animal was a slight
bruise to one of his legs.
A short time after the accident Miss
Thomey had sufficiently recovered
from her fright to secure a new horse
and buggy an continued her homeward
journey. She is said to be in perfect
health today and feels none the worse
for her strange accident.