The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-07-29
KILLED MAN---WENT ON.
Train Crew Looks at Body But Leaves
1t to Be Further Afangled.

| An unknown tramp was run over at
! the mile post one mile east of the
North Topeka yards about 6 o'clock
| last evening and the body was horribly
mutilated. The man was walking east
on the Rock Island railroad track
when he was struck by the engine of
the Union Pacific plug which leaves
| Topeka at 5:25.
The train was stopped and the train
crew took look at the remains and
| then without removing them from the
track pulled out.
A few moments afterward a long
Rock Island freight train ran over the
remains, further mutilating them. The
| head and one arm were completely
severed from the body, the face was
made unidentifiable and the body
| strewn along the track for one hun
dred yards.
The body was that of a man about
45 years of age. He wore a heavy
sandy mustache, and two weeks
growth of beard, his hair was brown
slightly turned to gray. The eyes were
blue. The man was undoubtedly a
professional tramp as he carried a
tramp'S equipment, consisting of a bag
OF cigar stubbs, package of coffee,
another of salt. cake of soap, an old
knife and a piece of a morror about
two inches square. There was nothing
in his pockets that could in any way
serve to identify him, and only $3.50
in silver was found on him. On his
chest were the letters tattooed in India
ink, reading E. c. D.
Chas. Fuller, whose home is in
Leavenworth, was driving by and wit
messed the accident. He said: ''When
I first saw the man he was walking
east in the middle of the track. The
train, which was running very fast
came up behind him, and did not
sound either whistle or bell. and the
next thing that 1 knew the train
struck him. When the train crew
came back they refused to touch the
| remains and in few moments a Rock
Island freight train drawn by engine
No. 1854 came along and completed
the mutilation." Several farmers were
present when the body was struck the
second time, but did not attempt to
either remove the body or stop the
| train.
The body was taken to ShelIabarg-
ers undertaking establishment where
an inquest was held at IL O'Clock this
morning.
The coroner's jury empanelled at
| Shellabarger's morgue this morning to
| investigate the killing of an unknown
man by Union Pacific train east OF
Topeka, decided that the killing was ac-
| cidenta1
Their finding was as follows:
- unknown man came to his death
| by being run over by train on Union
Pacific track about 800 yards north and
east of Soldier creek bridge, Shawnee
county, about $3.50 p. M. July g. 1905.
!
| killing was accidental"
The jury was composed of A. NJ. AL
| nson, d. F. Wyatt, 9. w Miller, Geo
| Bowie. c. F. Chute and H. c. Lindsay.
The first witness heard was Charles
| Fuller, transient who was camped no
far from the scene of the killing, anc
who was driving along the parable
wagon road and only few yards from
the train when the man was run over
| Fuller, in telling the story said:
L was watching the train, and whe1
| it was near me l saw man not Owe
five feet ahead of the engine and goins
| the same way as the train. I saw thu
coWcatcher pass over him, then the lit
tie wheels and the DRYERS, and the bod,
did not fall away from the track unit
| the trucks of the first car reached it
The train ran about 40 or so yards
blew the whistle three times and stop
| ped. The whistle did not blow or thu
| bell ring before the man was killed.,
William c. Skanks j. H Skanks ant
John Patzell also testified.
! PatzeH was blowing corn near thu
| freight train, which followed the pas
senger, was running over the body. Thu
| Skanks brothers were camped a quartz
of mile from the place, but reached
the scene in time to hear the negro por
ter, who had been left by the passen
ger, say, - a man after he II
/ dead. There is no use to hold up tina
climbed on the freight train, which
slowed down but did not stop, and wen
on east. They stated that the freigh
did not move the pieces of the body ly
ing on the track in passing.
H. A. Scandrett, attorney for the I'm
ion Pacific, ross-examined the wit
neSSeS.