The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-09-05

a standstill. 1 dressed myself and went
out on the platform of the deDot where
sd" What happened. The passengers
were all excited and some of them Who
were fast asleep did not know what
had happened until they were awaken
ed Dy the sudden jar when the emar-
gency brakes were applied. AS far as
know no one was hurt more than
being little bit scared. feel prettv
lucky that | wasn't hurt and 7 puess
everybody else feels the same way
about it,"
Governor HOch Slightly Hurt.
Governor Hoch was in one of the
wrecked Pullmans. and cut a bad cash
in the little finger of his left hand while
climbing out of the car through a
broken window.
The governor was on his way to
Hutchinson to be present at the con-
tinuation of the investigation of E E
Marshall superintendent of the state
reformatory. 1t was about 1 o'clock
when the train left and before going to
his berth, the governor stopped in the
smoking room and was talking to W.
NJ Kretsinger an Emporia politician
While there the cars left the track.
Il was standing in the doorway of the
smoking room when the cars were bump
ing along over the ties" said Governor
Hoch, and it seemed as though the
car was likely to tip over, 1 simply grab
bed hold and stayed there, expecting to
jump which ever way seemed best.
When the car stopped, the floor was
tilted to an angle of about 40 degrees.
Mr.. kretsinger and myself got out in
the narrow passage way, which was on
the upper side of the car. and man
aged to get the wire screen out of one OF
the round windows, but we could not
open the window. So we smashed 1t out
and climbed through the hole. In get
ting out I think 1 got this cut on my
hand, though did not notice it for some
time after. / put in the rest of the night
helping get the baggage out of the over
turned cars and in doing what I could
to help the other passengers Every
body was greatly excited. of course, and
the conductor on our car was about the
most excited one in the lot
About o'clock this morning some one
here in town who had received a tele-
phone message from Wakarusa about
the wreck telephoned to the executive
mansion and told Mrs. Hoch that No.
9 had been wrecked and that Governor
Hoch had been hurt. This person was
unable to give any further particulars,
and the Hoch household was consequent
ly greatly agitated for the remainder of
the night. They were unable to get into
telephone communication with Waka-
rusa, and did not know how seriously
the governor was hurt until he arrived
in Topeka this morning at o'clock on
the relief train sent out from here. Gov
ernor Hoch's cut finger was sewed up
by a surgeon who was sent to the scene
Of the wreck. but by the time the COVER
nor arrived in Topeka, the stitches had
pulled out. and he was taken to the
Santa Fe hospital where the wound was
again sewed up and dressed. Governor
Hoch went to his home and slept few
hours, after which he came down town
to his office, and left town on No. for
J. S. Simmons, chairman of the re-
formatory board. was notified of the ac-
cident, and it was decided that the
board should put in the day taking tes-
-imony of a secondary nature, and wal.
until the arrivel of Governor Hoch to
put the important witnesses on the
stand.
The governor reported that the con-
1uctor on the Pullman on which he was
riding lost his head completely. Cover
nor Hoch asked him where he could get
an axe, and the conductor was having
such a brain storm that he was unable
70 tell. When the passengers were ready
10 go back to Topeka, the conductor
couldn't remember what he had done
with the tickets he had collected.