The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-05-20

tired of this bargain, and wanted to
break away from it.
Though good man and a hard worker,
when he did work, Gaffney was no man
of business. He could make a great
deal of money farming, and in good sea-
sons often made his mothers farm yield
an excellent revenue. Yet he never took
care of his money, and at the time of his
death he had little property, if indeed
he had any.
Gaffney made his home on the farm
with his mother. 1t was two weeks ago
last Saturday that she last saw him. At
that time he hitched up a horse to a
buggy and telling his mother that he was
going to see neighbor, to negotiate
with the view to renting out some pas
ture land to this neighbor, Gaffney drove
off, Nothing was heard of him until the
sad telegram announcing his death on
the railroad was received by his sister.
The news fairly Frustrated his aged
mother, who is past eighty years old.
The letter that was found on the per-
son of the dead man told Mrs. Inger-
sol, that he (Gafney) had sent the bug
gy by freight back to Peterson. The
buggy belonged to his mother. 1t had
not been received by her up to the time
Mr.. Beeman left home yesterday. The
horse belonged to Gaffney. 1t was worth
at least $50. What became of the horse,
nobody seems to have any idea. Gaff-
ney may have sold him, but, if he did,
what became of the money? Gaffney had
only forty cents in his pockets, when
searched by the undertaken. Gaffney
might have drunk up part of the money.
He could not be called a drunkard, yet
he did go on spree once in long
while. 1t may be that he was robbed
while drunk somewhere. He certainly
was not intoxicated at the time he was
killed. There were no signs of liquor
about him.
Mr.. Beeman left with the body for
Sheldon on the Omaha night express, at
ll:50 last night. The remains will be
inferred in the family burying grounds
at Peterson, Iowa.
Gaffney was single and always had
been. His disposition was not suited to
settled married life.
The Coroner's Inquest.
Without hesitation, the coroner's jury
this afternoon decided that John Calf
ney came to his death by being struck
by railroad train, through his own
carelessness. The inquest was very short
the only witnesses being the engineer
and firemen.
William E. Scott testified that he was
a locomotive engineer; that he was en-
ployed as such by the Chicago & North
Western Railway company; he had been
such during the past twenty mine years;
his run was from Waseca to Tracy on
trains SOB and SOP, both passenger
trains; he went through Mankato as
usual last Sunday; his train left Man
kato at l2:43, twenty eight minutes
| late; the fireman on his locomotive was
! B. F. Pagenhart; after leaving Mankato
| the engineer saw the man he killed on
| the track ahead of the train; the Blue
| Earth bridge had just been passed when
the engineer first saw the man on the
track; the man was about a quarter OF
mile ahead of the train; he was going
| in the same direction as the train; he
was walking in the middle of the track
between the two rails; the engineer blew
the crossing whistle to attract the mans
attention; the endangered man didn't
seem to notice the whistle at all; the
engineer sounded the whistle again and
again; then the brakes in emergency
were thrown on; all was done that could
have been done to stop the train; the
man never looked around from the time
the engineer first saw him until the
train struck him; the man was struck q
short distance beyond the point where
the Omaha and Northwestern tracks
separate and the North Western tracks
turns down hill to the west; the trair
was going at about forty five miles pei
hour when the man was first seen; the