The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-28
WILLIAM F. ADAMS KILLED
VETERAN OF THE CIVIL WAR RUN
DOWN BY AN ENGINE.
He Was Struck While Crossing the
VandaIia Tracks and Died at
the City Hospital.

Williams F. Adams, veteran of the
civil war, and an old man about whom
little was known, except that he made
living driving stock from trains to the
Union Stockyards for shippers and COM
mission men, was struck by train No.
on the Vandalia Railroad, at the intersec-
tion of Kentucky avenue. Missouri street
and the Vandalia tracks, last night at
1922 o'clock, and terribly injured that
he died one hour later at the City Hospital.
Struck by the pilot beam of No. rs locomo-
tive, the old man, who was crippled and
unable to walk rapidly and with sureness,
was hurled ten feet to the side of the main
track, his head striking a crosstie with
such force that the skull was fractured
at the base of the brain. The flesh was
torn from the right side of the face and
the bone exposed Adams never recovered
consciousness after he was struck by the
train, and died at the hospital without be-
ing able to give any information about him
self.
In his pockets were found a pension GER
tifcate, setting out that he had served with
honor in Company X of the Thirty-fourth
Indiana Regiment of Infantry, during the
civil war, and that he was drawing a PEN
sion of IS month. Other papers found in
dictated that he was to have received short
ly an increased pension on the claim that
he had been an invalid. With letter from
E. j. Robinson, written during the cam
paign preceding the Republican county con-
vention, and one or two scraps with figures
on them, these were the only means OF
identification. 1t is said that Adams lived
alone part of the time at the Union Stock
yards and part of the time in boarding
house on South Capitol avenue. The di-
rectory contains the name of William r.
South Capitol avenue. The old soldier
came here from Danville. Ind, 1t is said.
about four years ago and got work around
the stockyards, driving cattle to and from
trains for commission men. One of his
legs bore the marks of old injury, and
he was never able to walk with ease. He
carried q cane constantly and walked with
pronounced limp. Adams was also a
trife deaf, it is said, which may have &C
counted for the accident last night.
AS the fast Vandalia train came thunder
ing in from ST. Louis on the main track,
Adams started to get out of the way of a
switch engine that was backing down a
sidetrack west. Either the putting of the
laboring switch engine prevented Adams
from hearing the coming passenger train,
or his deafness made him insensible of
danger. He limped painfully out of the
way Of the yard engine and stepped directly
in front of the big locomotive that hauled
No 2 into the city. The sides of the pilot
beam struck him in the side and hurled him
forward and to one side about ten feet,
where his head struck the sidetrack Men
from the office and from switch engines
ran to the still body and carried it into
| the shanty. On pallet it rested until the
| City Hospital ambulance arrived. Although
unconscious it was plainly apparent that
the man was dying as he lay in the yard
| office The fracture of the skull at the
base of the brain had paralyzed his mental
| and physical functions.
Adams, it is said, had no relatives in In
| dianapolis, and had no family.