Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-05-11
BICYCLIST KILLED.
Archie Dunn, Belgrade, Tried
to Distance Train.
Was Racing With Another Boy and
Crashed Into Freight Car.
His Skull Crushed in and Death Was
instantaneous.

Belgrade, Me, May 10.-(SpeciaD-
Archie Dunn of this town was killed,
Friday afternoon, in a collision with a
freight train. lie was IS years old,
the son of Mr.. and Mrs. Frank Dunn of
Wings Mills. In company With d son
of Frank Hewitt, he was bicycling on
hour. The boys got to racing and un-
dertOol< to cross the railroad track
ahead of the Wcstbound freight. Dunn
was leading in the race, riding in
Scorcher style with bent back and head
down. The train reached the crossing
just ahead Of him, and he struck the
fourth car of the train. AS he was go
ing at terrific speed, it was enough to
have killed him, even if the train had
not been moving. lie was thrown sew
eral rods from the train and was dead
before anybody could reach him. He
struck the side of the car, q box car
squarely with the top of his head, and
WaS found with skull crushed i'll. There
were few other marks on his body and
it was evident that death had been in
stantancous. The Hewitt boy who was
close behind, jumped from his wheel
ana had Il bad fail, striking the ground
less than ten feet from the track
Where the train was moving which had
killed his comrade. The boy who was
killed Was the Oldest of several chill
drcn.
Coroner Joshua +. Bean of Augusta
was summoned and held an inquest
Gas reHEil ed by law in the case of one
killed on the railroaD Saturday after
noon, in the Grange hall at Belgrade
a CORNERS jury was impanelcG, with
L. =. DCllon, foreman. Mrs. L. r.
Ecan Of Augusta, was stenographcr
They viewed the body and premises
Engineer VIII l.. DuntOn of the train
testified that he saw a number of boys
near the train at the crossing, but had
10 thought of any possibility Of an aC-
cident, until at Readfeld one of the
brallcmen inquired if they ran over
anybody at that place. He said no, and
the brakeman said that he saw some
body lying near the track after they
passed. and they concluded that it must
be q boy who had fallen off a wheel. At
Portland they received word by tcle-
graph Of the accident.
Fred u. Tilson, his fireman,
corrOboratcd the testimony. Arthur
Lord, school teacher, testified as
to the general style Of the dead boy in
bicycle riding. Harry II. Hewitt, his
companion, told the story OF the acct
dent, as given above. The examina-
tion of witnesses was conducted by the
coroner, and few questions We're
asked by Hon. Charles f. Johnson Of
WaterviIle, attorney for the railroad.
The finding of the jury was as follows:
AT an inquisition held at Belgrade,
within ana for the county of kenncbcc
on tho ninth day of May, 1908, before
Joshua f. Bean. one of the cOrOncrs
for said county, upon view of the body
of Archie Dunn, there lying dead, by
the oathS of l.. 3. DOlOf, +. l.. YeatOn,
f. J. Dunn, II. r. Austin, O. II. Cow
ell and L. o. Tbbctts, good and lawful
mon, who, being charged and sworn to
inquire when, how and by what means
said Archie Dunn came to his death,
upon their oaths say that the said Ar
chic Dunn came to his death by being
struck by train No. 40, at Slab City
crossing in the town of Belgrade, on
the eighth day of May, 1868, and your
jurors say that the Maine Central Rail-
road was in no way responsible.