Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-11-04
TIED TO RAILS.
Evidence Produced at Pier
son Secret Inquest
That Kenyon College Student
Met His Death During
Initiation Ceremony--.Was Also Made to
Crawl on Knees Through Streets.

| Mount Vernon, Ohio, Nov paul
| Barber, a Zeta AlphO freshman. has,
according to Prosecuting Attorney
EStillwell, given the most important tes-
| timony so far secured in the secret in
| quest into the death of young Stuart
Pierson, the Kenyon College student,
| who was killed by an engine on the
railroad track at Gambir, last Saturday
night. Barber, it is said, testified that
| he lay bound and blindfOlded upon the
track not 200 yards from the spot where
Pierson was mangled to death waiting
for his two initiatOrs, who he says were
| Jacob Ewalt and j. Il. Park. This, Bar
| Der declared, occurred about an hour
| before Persons life was crushed out.
| 1--WE have concluSively established,
said Prosecutor Stillwell, today, that
| it is custom at the college to tie cam
| didatcs to the tracks in the initiation
| ceremonies. We have positive evidence,
| from BARRIERS own lips and otherwise,
| that he was so tied. We know that Il
| special train for the removal of the
body was ordered before the undertake
| er was sent for. We know of the activ,
| ity before daylight that morning to re-
move every trace of blood and cloth
| ing.
| president PIERCE will be called to
| explain these things in connection with
| his statement that he knows young
PiersOn was not tied. We are near to a
solution of the mystery, if mystery
it is
TOday's testimony in the Pierson in
quest developed the fact that the boy
was lying PROSTATE on the track when
the engine struck him. also that he may
have been tied to the track by an
other initiating party which was out
and had bound their victim to the
rails. The identity of this party is
now being inquired into. The Witness
es examined We're President Pierce of
Kenyon College, Henry Bean. a stu
dent and w. H. Stump, rOundhouse en-
ploye, who cleaned the engine after its
arrival at Mount Vernon. The previ-
Gus evidence that it was the custom of
the fraternity men to tie candidates to
the tracks was corroborated in today's
testimony.
President Pierce'S examination last
ed over two hours and was severe. He
declared that his reason for ordering a
special train for the removal of the
body even before the undertaken was
summoned was purely the wishes of
his father. He said he saw the marks
on the body described as rope marks
but believed them to be only part of
the injuries inflicted by the locomotive.
A week before his death, PiersOn, it
was brought out in the examination,
was compelled by the fraternity men
| to crawl the length of the village, goad-
ed behind by men with sticks and
clubs and that this treatment developed
deep assesses on his knees. The
bandages were on the body when it
was found.
Nebold Pierson of College Hill, Gin
| cinnati, father of the dead student,
| took the witness stand about 4 o'clock
and it was after 6 when he was al
| lowed to go. He was given a most rigid
| examination and was compelled to de-
scrib the custom which fraternities use
when initiating candidates. He testi-
fed that his son left the college alone
and that he was positive that he was
| not tied on the track.
| He said that the members of the Del
| ia Kappa Epsilon fraternity remained
| at the college almost half an hour after
| the boy had been sent to the bridge be-
4
| reason he knew that his son was not
tied. He took all the blame for ship
ping the body to Cincinnati by special
train without first notifying the coro-
ner.
At the afternoon session the members
of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity
| who were in Gambler. Saturday night,
and who had charge of Persons initia-
tion were examined. They started that
Pierson had been ordered to go to the
railroad bridge alone and that he was
not led there by anyone. They said they
went after the boy about a half hour
afterward and found his mangled body
OH the bridge.
Ten students have been served with
| SuDpoenas to testify at the inquest, To-
morrow.