The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1905-11-16
INQUIRY PROVES THE
STUDENT WAS TIED
Stuart Pierson Was Bound tt
Track; Frat Members Re-
sponsible for His Death.
NINE D. X. E.'S INVOLVED
Evidence Turned Over 20 County Pros.
eeuter by Coroner, Who Will Push
Charges Of M~anslaushter
Against Kenyon Boys.

@N
.P~icrson. the Kenyon college student
who was killed by "A train on the night
Of October %. while being initiated into
the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity.
was declared by Coroner Scarborough
either To have been tied to the track
or bound In such n manner that he
could not free himself from his pcrilous
position. and while lying helpless to
have beer run over by the engine.
The coroncr say In his findings that
because the body was taken out OF the
county before he could see II. n bridge
where the death occurred scrubbed ~
washed. End all evidence otherwise de-
stroyed. he was compelled 20 rely upon
the testimony OF Witnesses. and under
the peculiar circumstances OF the cnsc
IL Is Impossible for him TO determine the
names OF the persons responsible for
Persons death. lie accordingly sub
mits his findings for action by the pros
ccuting attorney. who will lay the case
before the Knox county grand jury.
which convenes In Mt. Vernon today.
D. X. E.'s May Be Indicted.
II IN probable that Indictments for
marslaughtcr viii be brought against
members OF the ID. X. r.. fraternity.
who admit that Picrson met death
while being initiated into their society.
but declare ne was only sent TO the
bridge az "A preliminary step In initia-
ton. was not bound or tied In I'M
manner. and that death by accident
was caused by the boys ~ negligence
or carlessneSs. or some other cause for
which the fraternity is not to blame.
The active members OF Lambda chap
ter. II. X. l.. fraternity. OF Kenyon col
lege. are: +. X. Tschan, In Grange. H.:
r.. a. Duncan. Clarksburg. W. Va: Al
fred X. Taylor. Quincy. w.: y. York.
Akron. o.: ]. II. Starr. Richmond. Ind:
q. Conover. Utica. o.. w. &. Russell.
Mt. Vernon. -.
In addition To these. we alumnus
members OF Lambda chapter were pres
ent on tho night of the tragedy. They
were y. l.. Picrson OF Cincinnati. father
OF the young man killed. and Herbert
Brown. OF GAINESVILLE. q.
The coroncr's Investigations covered
"A period OF more than "A week and In
cluded the examination OF thirty-three
witnesses. among them being President
Pierce and Or. Reeves. secretary OF the
faculty. and all the active OF
the ID. X. r.. chapter. Preliminary To
the inquiry he went TO Cincinnati TO
view the body. His findings also said:
Carefully Destroys Evidence.
TIE theory the coroner deduces from
the evidence In that young Person In
the ordeal OF initiation was bound laid
on the bridge track In n lonely place ut
night and left there alone after being
assured with great solemnity that he
was to remain there until n train
ground him TO pieces. That the mem
bcrs OF the committee then retired into
the woods. expecting TO return In q
short time and long before the arrival
OF the train and cmove the candidate
he In positive. but believes that before
they could get back an engine running
Wild passed ms killed the student.
The coroner did not hear OF the death
until he next day and then In u
roundabout way. but finally DIR. Work
man OF Gambler called him up on the
telephone and told him that n college
boy had been killed by accident and
the body had been shipped away.
When the coroner arrived he found
that the corpse had been taken at 4
o'clock - morning on q special train
to Cincinnati. All fragments or the
body were removed carefully from the
bridge when he got there Sunday noou.
and cyen the blood stains had been
washed ron the ties and rails.
College President Talks.
President Pierce was Ut his hous,.
when the %coroner's erdiCt was read tn
him. lie said he was not surprised. AZ
the attitude OF the coroner had been
such that uo other sort Of verdict could
have been expected.
The fraternity" he said. has made
IL the custom to send their candidates
out to- lonely places to wait the rom
ins OF various committees appointed to
take care OF each particular initiate.
"PiersOn could not have been bound
to the track because no one went with
him To do Il. The fraternity members
remained in their lodge. "A mile deep In
the woods. while the candidates went
away 10 Their stations.
Says No One Is 10 Blame.
Young PicrSon was sent Ia The
bridge. In some way unknown lac got
IN front OF the train. He was tired out
and might nave fallen asleep. I do not
know. but 1T any rate h awful acct
lent occurred. for which no one was IL
blame"
ID you not think u was reprehensi-
BILE of the fraternity To scnd PierSon tn
a place 50 hazardous hat he lost his
llfc7" the president was asked.
That place TO which Pierson was sent
was not hazardous declared the pres
,dent. He was not told to stand on
the bridge but on the abutment ut the
end 81 the bridge. which Is quite wide.
II is exactly the place that young men
might select as a meeting place " they