Durango semi-weekly herald., 1907-07-08
PARTICULARS OF KILLING
OF FRANK SCHMELZER.
Denver Republican.

D.
Frank Schneider. one of the most
prominent members of the federation.
me. death at o'clock last night by
icing horribly crushed under Denver
& Rio Grande train No. 3, westbound
| out of Denver.
Schneider had boarded the wrong
train and had jumped from the plat
| form of one of the cars while the
| train was running at full speed past
| the corner of Eleventh and Wyncoop
| streets. It is possible that suit will
be brought against the d. & r.. G. on
| the charge of negligence; for the con
Guctor II is said. allow the man to
jump instead of stopping the train to
let him OF
| II was on Wednesday afternoon that
| Schneider was reelected for the sec
ord time to the executive board from
district No. of the w. F. NJ. The
honor was one of the greatest in the
| gift of the federation. When ii was
all over. and the business of the con
vention was done, Schneider made
ready to return to his home at Sill
verton, where he was to stop en- route
for Boise. He hurried to the union
| his train Hastily he asked the gate
man which was the Silverton train,
and seems not to have paid very care
ful attention. for five minutes later
when he handed his ticket to the con
ductor, that official looked at 1t and
said:
You've got the wrong train"
Then I'll jump of and you throw
my grips after me" said Schneider.
The conductor is said to have objected
to this, and to have warned the man
that the train was going to fast. But
Schneider hurried to the platform.
| and the conductor did not prevent him
from making the leap. Also the con
ductor did throw the grips after the
| man.
1
jumped, and rolled under the wheels of
the train. He was frightfull mangled
before the train could be stopped
His right foot was completely severed.
as was also his left hand. His left
shoulder was crushed, and his right
leg below the knee had the flesh torn
from it.
When the ambulance arrived at the
scene and Police Surgeon Barta exam
ined the injuries. the train had gone
on and no one was caring for the
the track suffering terrible anguish
| Around him was n motley group of
men and boys who looked on curl
ously while Schneider writhed among
| the cinders.
| 1t was lad named Norman Smith
OF 212S West Thirty-eighth avenue.
who had first reached the side of the
injured man. Schneider was conscious
at the time and was making desperate
| efforts to control himself so that he
could give directions about his own
to turn in an alarm for the police
ambulance.
When the ambulance arrived the
man was still conscious, although
weakened almost to the point of death
by the nervous shock and the loss of
| blood. Police Surgeon Barta saw that
| the only hope lay in speedy removal
to the county hospital and the run
was made to that distant point at
eallop. Everything possible was done
| for the man but two hours after reach
| ing the hospital he died. At the hos
| pital the injured man displayed great
| nerve and actually joked the physi-
clans as he went under the anaes-
! thetic.
Schmelzer's death Is especially felt
| by his brothers of the Western Fed
| Grafton of Miners. Delegate Joseph
Shannon of Butte claims to be the
last person that bade him goodbye as
he went through the big entrance at
the union depot. Immediately prior to
| his awful fall.
All through the session of the fed
| Grafton. just closed he was promi-
nent figure. Together with Ernest
Mills. he acted as secretary of the
| convention, and his hearty and lusty
voice was heard every time the roll
was called. At o'clock last night he
was in the best of spirits, and when
he called the names for the last time
he had finished a career in the con
vention hall that had been as helpful
to make the convention a success as
that of any delegate on the floor. Ev-
cry time vote was taken when a
roll call was necessary. he and Mills
would vote contrary to each other.
Their names were at the bottom of
the list, and as they were always seat.
ed together at the front of the hall
their utterances were plainly notice.
able.