Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-05-26
EUGENE DENNIS
GIVEN medal
EMPLoYE is RE-
MEMBERED BY CARNEGIE
HERO FUND.
SAVES CHiLD's
| FE
Plucked Little Ruth Bolich From Be-
meath Freight Train at Vine
Street Crossing Janu-
AIRY 20, 1907.

In the published list of those award
ed medals for bravery by the Carnegie
hero fund commission at Pittsburg,
Pa, yesterday, appears the name of
an OttumWan. Eugene Dennis of 1913
West Second street, was the hero re-
membered by the commission for an
act, the bravery of which is highly
commendable and won for him the
undying gratitude of mother whose
3-year-old daughters life was saved
by Mr.. Dennis.
The act for which Mr. Dennis is re-
membered by the commission, occur
red Tuesday, January 20, 1907, at the
Burlington crossing at Vine street.
The claim to recognition of the act
by the Carnegie hero fund commits
sion was taken up unknown to Mr..
Dennis by George E. Witter, at that
time railroad reporter for the Courier,
with the result that Mr.. Dennis, no
longer car checker at the yards but
now assistant timekeeper at the Bur
lington union depot, has been award
ed bronze medal for the brave act.
The story as it is told in the Courier
of January 80, 1907, follows:
Yesterday afternoon by his cool
head and prompt action, Eugene Den
mis- saved little, Ruth Bolich from a
horrible death, when he plucked her
from under the very trucks of an on
coming freight train on the Vine
street Burlington crossing.
Ran Across the Tracks.
The little girl is the daughter of Mr..
and Mrs. H. e. Bolich of Cherry
street. Mrs Bolich and Mrs. Clark
Richards, 217 South Ash street, &C.
companied by Mrs. Bolich's daughter,
Ruth, 8 years of age, and two little
children of Mrs. Richards, were
crossing the tracks on South Vine
street when the accident happened.
Burlington freight train No. 70 was
being made UP in the yards, moving
back and forth over the crossing to
cut out bad order box car The en-
CINE was near the Rock Island freight
house. The two women and the chill
dren were standing near the track
waiting for a chance to get across.
The train backed up rapidly In order
to make a flying switch, Kicking"
| the rear cars onto side track After
the connection was broken, the train,
carried by it's own momentum, ap-
protched on the main track, though
at slower rate of speed.
| Child is Knocked Down.
The break in the train occurred
just in the middle of the sidewalk. AS
soon as the gap widened Mrs. Bolich
sprang across 10 track between the
cars and the three children followed
her. The two Richards children got
over safely, but the draw bar of the
oncoming train struck the Bolich
child in the head lightly and pushed
her over in front of the train. Prob.
ably ten or twelve other people were
standing on the crossing waiting for
a chance to. pass. Among these was
! Mr.. DENNIS, who was engaged in
checking the cars before the train
left.
Dennis Follows the Child.
Dennis was the only one IN the
gathering that grasped the situation
in time to act. Quicker than thought
and before the crowd of onlookers re
allied what had happened, he leaped
in front of the car, leaned clear in un
der the oncoming truck and raised
the girl from the ground barely in
time to save her from being struck
and crushed by the heavy brake
beams, then jumped in. time to save
his own life. With the child in one
hand he reached up and grabbed the
lower steps Of the car ladder, braced
himself and jumped to safety. One
slip ON the icy crossing and all would
have been over for both.