Danville intelligencer. [volume] (Danville, Pa.) 1859-1907, 1907-02-15
MRS. BELL killed
By THE CARS

accident, in which Mrs. Mary f. Bell,
a we'll known woman of Mahoning
township. lost her life, while the horse
she was driving was killed and the
sleigh reduced to splinters.
Mrs Bell. the deceased, was the wife
of William NJ. Bell. who is employed
in the Danville Rolling mill this city.
The couple lived on farm in Toby
Run hollow, which they recently pur-
chased. Mr.. Bell usually completed
his work about > O'Clock in the morn
ing and started for home on foot. 1t
has been customary for some one from
the farm to come to meet him with
horse and sleigh. Mr.. Bell seldom
walked very far before the horse and
sleigh appeared. Saturday, however,
he got as far as the hospital for the
insane.
Meanwhile his sleigh, driven by his
wife, crossed the d. l.. q W. tracks
at the gas house and drove along par
allel with the railroad until it reach
ed the crossing at the entrance to the
hospital ground at the gate house One
would think that the most natural
course from that point to town would
be along the regular township high.
way on the south side of the track.
The woman, however, assuming that
her husband might be on his way up
the railroad, was afraid she would miss
him by taking the public road and un-
dertook to reoross the track, intending
to drive down through the hospital
ground, from where the railroad is in
full view.
The train figuring in the accident
was the west bound passenger, num-
ber 7l5, due to arrive at Danville at
$40 a. m. The train was late and was
running at high rate of speed. The
locomotive squarely struck both horse
and sleigh. carrying them forward and
hurling the woman on the south side
and the horse ON the north side of the
track. Both were killed instantly.
AS soon as the train could be stop
ped it backed to the scene of the ac-
cident- One of the first to ioinl the
crew was William Bell, the husband,
who from his position at the lower
end of the hospital ground was an eye.
witness of the terrible affair. In
statement subsequently made Mr.. Bell
said that he heard the whistle and al
most simultaneously the collision oc-
Cured. As he saw the wreekage toss
ed in the air, the horse hurled in one
direction and the human body in the
other. he instinctively felt that it was
some one from his farm who had driv-
en- in for him. He hurried forward and
learned the terrible truth-that it was
his wife who was the victim.
Mrs. Bell did not bear mark to
show any external injury. Death was
undou btedly caused by internal injury
or the effect of the terrible shock and
jar. The body was found one hundred
feet west of the crossing, where the
sleigh was struck, and some idea of
the force of the impact when the eng
inc struck the woman may be obtain
ed when il is stated that the body in
alighting struck the ground sixty feet
west of the crossing and from that
point plcughed a furrow through the
snow forty feet further before it stop
ped. The woman to shiel6herself from
the cold had put on mans overcoat
and wore a woolen hood ON her head,
which heavy protection no doubt ac-
counts for the fact that the body bore |
no external injury. The horse lay near.
ly opposite the woman, the body con.
tanning one cash sufficient to cause |
death. Tho wreckage of the sleigh was |
scattered all along the track. Several |
hundred feet west of the crossing on |
one side lay the shafts and ON the 9TH
er side one of the runners of the sleigh |
TO which olung a remnant of the wo-
mans woolen hood
The woman's S body was carried into !
the waiting room at the gate house |
where Dr. Nebinger of the hospital |
staff made an examination. He was
convinced that death was instantaue.
Gus.
In response to summons Justice of |
the Peace w. V. Oglesby, accompanied |
by Chief.of Police j. @. Mincemoyer, |
went up to the scene of the accident |
to determine whether an inquest was |
necessary or not He learned the facts |
as above stated and then arranged an
interview with the engineer of train
No. 7l5, which struck the woman.
The number of the engine drawing the
train was 43O and the name of the eng |
ineer in charge is John Baird, of !
Northumberland.
The same train returns up the road
at 2:ll p. IN. Accordingly at that hour
Saturday afternoon Justice Oglesby,
accompanied by representative of
the American, was on hand at the
station. The engineer having handed
the engine over to the fireman entered
the passenger coach with the justice
and his companion and during the run
up to the hospital told his story.
The engineer said that when he first
saw the woman, she had stopped just
south of the crossing and appeared to
be arranging her hood. At the first
sight of her he sounded the whistle
he had no idea that she would sttompt
to cross.
When only the length of three cars
from the crossing. he said, to his hor-
ror, she drove right upon the cross
ing. He applied the emergency brake.
but was unable to check the speed very
much in the short distance and the
collision occurred as above described.