Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-31
TOLD BY SURVIVORS
SCENES AND INCIDENTS DE-
sCRIBED BY EYE-wITNESSES

Mr. William Johnson general agent Of
| the United States Express Company In this
city was among the injured who were
brought to this city on the first relief train.
He was seen by a Star reporter as he lay
on the floor of an express car suffering
from a fractured arm, a wrenched ankle
and severe injuries to the head and body.
Even in that condition Mr.. johnson was
conscious and had not lost his nerve. He
noticed the reporter and asked the latter TO
move close and lean over him. He then
told his name, and remarked that in all nis
twenty-five years Of railroading he had
| never seen the like OF this"
Mr.. johnson was Of the three men
taken to the Emergency Hospital. He suf-
fered agony as his arm was being set, anu
! his other wounds dressed, but he con-
versed freely with the surgeons and news
paper men who were in the room.
1.-The first thing l noticed was that the
| lights all went out" Mr.. johnson ex-
| planned. Il was sitting in the same seat
with United States Attorney Baker in the
car that was least shaken up. The mo-
! ment the lights went out knew there had
| been a wreck. l could see absolutely moth
| ing and did not know how badly Mr.
Baker or any other person near me had
been hurt. The crash was terrific but
didn't seem to notice that. IL was the
darkness that impressed me most, and the
| cries of those about me. $50
II never want to see anything IKE thiS
| again as long as l live.
Search for Sister.
DR.. w. O. Bohrer, who resides at Garrett
Park and has an office at SO2 F street.
called at police headquarters this morning
| about 3 o'clock to make inquiries about
his sister, Miss Mary Alice Bohrer, forty
years of age, who left his home and
boarded train g. which was due at Gar
, rett Park at $50 o'clock. The train, he
said, on time. With Dr. Bohrer, at
police headquarters, was Mr.. s. l.. putnam,
| who was anxious to learn what had become
of Miss Carrie Cromwell, twenty-three
years of age, whose parents live at 1873
u street Miss Cromwell had visited the
| home of Mr.. Putnams family yesterday,
and Mr. Putnam had escorted her to the
| train. He and DR.. Bohrer were there to-
gether al the time the two ladies boarded
| the train to come to this city
| Take care of my sister,, was what Dr.
Bohrer said to Conductor Nagle when his
| sister stepped upon the platform ana start
| ed to enter the car, little thinking that she
would soon be in wreck.
| DIR. Bohrer and Mr. Putnam noticed the
| "dead-head" train moving a rapid rate
| soon after the starting of the regular pas
senger train from the station. 1t was only
a short while after the two men reached
| their respective homes, however, that they
| heard of the disaster. They hurried to-
ward the scene of the wreck upon the
| first train, which took them only as far as
| silver Spring, ana Cney udU 10 Walk lHc
| remainder of the distance down the track.
| DR.. Bohrer came near meeting with a fatal
accident when a short distance from Ia
| koma. He lost his footing and almost
| fell over embankment, a distance of
about sixty feet. He was caught by Mr..
Putnam, however
After reaching the scene of the wreck
and making inquiries for the ladies the
two men resumed their journey to the city,
reaching police headquarters about $3.50
o'clock.
Il learned at Terra Gotta" DR.. Bohrer
said, that the gentleman who had occu-
pied the seat with my sister had been in
jured, but not fatally. He had been taken
| to the home of Mr.. Wiltberger, who is my
cousin at Terra Gotta, and given treatment.
The man did not know the name of my sis
ter, but he said to my cousin that he hoped
the woman who sat next to him and who
wore several diamond rings had not been
killed. Little did Mr.. Wiltberger think the
injured man was talking about Mr.. " llt-
berger'S cousin.
DR.. Bohrer waited at police headquarters
until after o'clock before he was able to
learn from the morgue that there was
body there answering the description OF his
sister. Although he had feared the worst,
he hoped against hope. Even after he had
been told of the diamonds on the left hand
of the corpse he demanded further marks
of identity, and did not accept the worst
until Capt Brown of the F4refghter, who
had made an investigation at the morgue
said there was a black and white paid
up hope and became hysterical.
| Mr.. Putnam had been unable 20 obtain
| any information at the morgue to indicate
| that the body of Miss Cromwell was there
nor could he learn anything at the hos
| pitfalls elsewhere in reference to her
| whereabouts. She, too, had worn diamond
| rings, and he thought he might be able to
| trace her by means of the jewelry she had
worn.
Did Not Go to Morgue.
ber nod, Il in, he +,
Mr. Putnam said before he left police head
| quarters about 4:15 o'clock this morning in
| the driving rain. "A friend of the young
| lady has been through the morgue and it is
! useless for me to go tnere.'
He left the city with brother of Miss
| Cromwell, going to Terra Gotta They went
| there to make further search for the
| missing woman, thinking they might pos
| siblyfnd her being cared for in some house.
| but members of the Cromwell family re-
| ceived definite information from the ror-rle
| about daybreak that the remains of the
missing young woman was there A sister
of Miss Cromwell was called on the phone
! by Star reporter at an early hour this
morning and asked if she had heard any,
thing from her brother and Mr.. Putnam.
Not word, was her response, but 1t
is too late now to hear from them"
| She added that the body had been found
at the morgue and positively identified.
Taking Christmas Presents Home.
Miss Bohrer had visited relatives in Rock
| vile and had then gone to the home of her
brother at Garrett Park. She had called
| upon them to spend part of the holidays and
was returning to her home in Baltimore at
| the time she was killed. Miss Bohrer had
been In the habit of spending the winter
season in Baltimore, occupying a suite of
rooms at the house of Mrs. Ewing near La
| fayette square. In the summer she re-
| sided at the home of her brother During
| her visit to her relatives Christmas pres
| ents had been EXCHANGED and Miss ROhrer