Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-01-09
German Professor Came Near
Freezing to Death While
Hanging to a Train.
NEARLY DEAD WHEN REMOVED
Had to Be Carried From the Train. Too
Stiff to Walk, and So Cold He Was
Unable to TaIk-Had Ridden From
Tama Hanging to vestibule Handles
of sIeeper-Ears and Hands Frozen.

little professor of German and French,
who recently located in Marshalltown,
is certainly adopting a strenuous meth
cd of becoming Americanized. A
protege Of Hon. S. c. Mcfarland, United
states consul at Reichenberg. Austria,
kenngott had the idea when he came to
America that Mr.. Mcfarland had
coached him along all necessary lines,
and that he would be able to care for
himself without asking questions Mr..
Mcfarland, however evidently did not
go into details on the manner Of operat-
ing Pullman car vestbules from the
outside, and as that is a pretty hard
proposition, when a train is moving, 1t
is Just as well that he did not.
Professor Kenngott was at Tama on
Thursday, where he has class in Ger
man. He boarded 40. IL, the west
bound passenger, due to arrive here
about 2, which was nearly four hours
late. In the first place Mr.. kenngott
was on the wrong side of the train at
the Tama station, and as 1t started
found no place to board. Thinking that
the door would be opened to him he
took hold Of the handles OF one Of the
vestibules, with barely room for his
feet on the bottom step. and waited. 1t
was only few moments before the
train was under rapid Roadway, and
the German began to think of dear old
a Ill n >f foil at n
wonder what could ever have induced
him to come to America, land of ne
gro porters and zero weather He cried
at the top of his voice for assistance,
but none came. He used one hand to
rap on the door. but no one needed his
appeals. He was rapidly becoming
chilled thru, as he was not dressed for
a midnight ride with the mercury quite
so low. His fingers were becoming
stiff, and seemed glued to the brass
rods. There was a bit of satisfaction
in this for the frightened grasp was all
that stood between him and eternity.
He prayed for the train to stop as the
switch lights at Montour doomed up in
the distance. Whiz- bang! kenngott
closed his eyes and shuddered. A
freight was passing on the north track
at a forty mile clip, barely three feet
away. He imagined himself in the
place Of his forefathers under the kali
ser's command on the field of battle.
Cannon could not be compared to that
terrible noise, which took his breath
away. More lights appeared. as Lee
Grand was neared, and still no indica-
tions were apparent that the train ever
expected to stop, tho, all the time. II
ran slower and slower. to the mind OF
the now about distracted professor.
Quarry was passed with rapidity that
did not even give the professor chance
to dream of sunny Italy. II he had
known that he was going thru Little
Italy 1t might have been some comfort,
hut he did not Finally, after thirty
five long minutes, that seemed so many
hours. the train came to its first stop
at the union passenger station in this
city.
Almost dead from cold the little Ger
man was taken from the train by BUS
men and removed to his home. he
was so chilled thru he could not utter
sound. A physician was called and
found that the mans right ear had been
hadly frozen, also all his fingers. How
he escaped even more serious conse-
ouences is mystery. An even greater
question is how he escaped with his
life. for it would have been impossible
to have remained in his perilous posi-
ton very much longer.
Herr Kenngott had another expert
ence with cold weather not long ago.
and this also was due to his lack OF
knowledge of railways trains he
wanted to go to Eldora, the day before
Christmas, and was told at the station
to take the train with the green
coaches. headed toward the west.
Kenngott boarded the Story City
branch instead and the conductor let
him off at Minerva junction. telling
him he had better walk to Albion and
catch No. l there. He did so. but nearly
froze to death. So cold did he get then
that he dared not attempt to walk the
trestle of the Iowa river bridge, and
crawled over it on his hands and
knees
II the young mans experiences con-
tinue with as much frequency 1t is
likely he will either learn or die in the
ATTEMPT. At any rate he can Initiate Miss
stone and write his little book. 1t Will
not be Bulgarian brigands, but negro
porters. s. c. Mcfarland and Herr
Kenngott will understand this, but not
the general public.
r,pEMEN TO HOLD FAIR.