The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-01-08
OBEYED ORDERS.
Engineer Benjamin of Ill Fated
Train Talks.
Had Orders to Meet Only One
Train at Willard.
ALL ARE IDENTIFIED.
Unknown Boy Found to Belong
to Reed Family.
Ezra Rankin's Body Sent to
Hiram, Maine.
Conductor Nagle's Thrilling
Story of the Dfaastar.
ALL ARE IDENTIFIED.
Conductor Nagle's Thrilling
Story of the Disaster.

The last of the victims of the wreck
of passenger train No. 8 on the Rock
Island at Willard, Kansas. last We'd
nesday morning has been claimed by
relatives. By tonight all the bodies
will have been removed from Topeka.
The correct list is:
EZRA RANKIN, Hiram, Me-. So
years.
MRS. MARTHA HILL Greensburg.
Kas., aged As years.
W. S. MARTIN. De Ilalb. Mo-. IS
years.
MRS. w. s. MARTIN, De Kalb, Mo-,
A years.
JAMES GRITTY. Claremont, Mo.
E. E. MOVER, Kansas City, news
agent on Rock Island train
GAIL FULLER, Blockton, Iowa,
years.
MRS. HENRY KAISER, Durham.
WILLIAM J. WELLS. Jacksonville,
Illinois.
RAYMOND A MARTIN. % years,
Chillicothe. Mo.
MRS. MARY HARvILLE. Chilli
cothe, Mo-. 43 years.
BEN HARvILLE. ChilIicothe. Mo-.
Is years.
TOT HARvILLE, ChilIicothe. Mo-,
MRS SUSAN REED. chiIlicothe, No,
As years.
GRACE REED. chilHcothe, Mo-, IL
years.
LENoRA REED, Chillicothe. Mo-. is
years.
WALTER REED. chillicothe, Mo-,
years.
Kansas City, Mo-, Jan. 8.-Engineer
Benjamin said today:
'Hrhe orders received at Topeka
were to wait at Valencia until 1885 a.
m. for extra freight east and to meet
/ oxfr or
had no orders whateye- 10 rneee the
extra stock train at Willard"
Did Conductor NagIe have such an
order?''
'I do not know what he had
In compliance with a dispatch re-
ceived today DeAoss & Penwen have
sent the body of Ezra Rankin to rela-
tives in Maine.
All the dead and injured members of
the Reed and Harville families of
Chillicothe, Mo-. were taken today from
Topeka. The Reeds and Haryilies are
relatives. They were members of
colony of farmers who were moving
from eight miles south of Chillicothe
to Tyrone, Oklahoma Only the adj
vance guard of the colony consisting
of the fathers of both families and
three or four of the sons, had gone
ahead and were engaged in building
houses. Raymond A. Martin, aged o.
was in the same party. Several other
families from the same neighborhood in
Missouri had planned to move to Ok
lahoma in tie spring.
| Walter Reed arrived here today and
! identified his wife, Mrs. Susan Reed,
and his three children, Ienora, aged Is;
Walter, aged 8; and Grace, aged II.
With the exception of two sons who
were with him all of Walter Reeds
family were killed. Chester Harville
rsixr IToI%
by his two sons were helping hin
make their new home ready in Okla
homa. Mr.. Harville has taken the
bodies of his wife, Mrs. Mary Harvilie
and of his two children, Ben, aged IL
and Tot, aged 3, back to Chillicothe for
burial Mr.. Harville also took his
three children from the hospital. They
are Frank, aged II; Ola, aged and
Chester, aged Is months. None were
seriously injured.
A E. Grant, now of Tyrone. Ok, was
the most joyful person who has visited
either of the morgues in Topeka, for
he arrived here thinking his family a
wife and several children, had been on
the same train with the Reeds and
Harvilles. He learned, after arriving
here, that they had been persuaded by
friends to remain in ChillicotEe for a.
while longer. Grant took charge of tho
body of Raymond Martin, his cousin
He is accompanied by his son Charles.
cations of the coroner Thursday after
noon clearly indicates that Engineer
Benjamin is chiefly responsible for the
wreck on the Rock Island Wednesday
morning.
I'VE had orders to wait for a special
stock train at Valencia until 1858, and
to pass another stock train at Willard.
We were late and passed through Va
Iencia at 1 a.. m. and no stock train
was in sight At Willard we saw a
stock train standing on the side track
neer thought that the two trains had
been com bined.
''I could not see the number of the
engine on the side track on account Of
the steam and because we were run
ming so fast We were going 80 miles
an hour. I saw the stencils on the train
and supposed that it was the sto6%-
train we were looking for. Engineer
Benjamin and / had duplicate orders
I was in the day coach collecting fares
when Benjamin threw on the air. That
was my first intimation of trouble,
Then we struck
Conductor Nagle of Rock Island pas
senger train No. gave the first an-
thentic account of the cause of the
wreck at Willard, as he sat, propped uE
| in bed at Stormont hospital at O'Clock
last night, making a deposition before
Coroner Silyerthorne and Assistant
County Attorney Carroll of Wabaunsee
county. This evidence will be made a
part of the coroner's report.
OF such evidence as was received this
was by far the most important. Be
/ fore the coroners jury there appeared
of the stock train that was wrecked