Omaha daily bee., 1909-03-31
WILLIAM M'CUNE KILLED nv cans
No One Saw Accident and Uncertain
How ~

NO One saw Accident and Uncertain
How ~ Happened.
William ]. McCune OF 20 Graham avenue.
a well known resident OF this city. met al
most instant death yesterday afternoon
beneath the wheels OF a freight train in
the yards OF the Northwestern railroad.
Mr.. McCune was agent for a life insurance
company and during the afternoon he went
to the yards to look for a mar to whom he
expected TO issue a policy. While there
were no eye-witnesses of the accident, indi-
cations are that McCune came to his death
by attempting to board a freight train
which was coming up town. The accident
happened in the south end of the yards
near the ice house at Avenue 1.
Shortly after ! o'clock McCune told some
friends that he had to so 10 the Northwest
ern yards TO look up a man named Cal
lsghan, who was talking about taking out
some insurance. He boarded the car at
the corner of Broadway and Pearl street
and about two hours later word was re-
ceived up town that he had been run over
and killed by a freight train in the rail
road yards.
How the accident happened Is not def
nitely known, as no one in the yards, so
far as could be a~scertained yesterday aft
ernoon saw him fall under the wheels. A
train of freight cars was being made up
on what is known as track No. 4, Of which
w. J. Westrio was the conductor and j..
+. Stsseman vas the foreman of the
switching crew. All Of the cars had been
coupled up and the train was being pulled
out for the freight depot when Stageman
saw what he thought was a coat being
whirled around by the wheels OF the last
car. Stageman at once had the train
brought to a standstill and Investigation
disclosed the mangled body Of a man later
Identified as McCune lying beside the track
but a few feet behind the train. McCune,
although both limbs were severed above
the knee and the. right arm was almost
torn from the shoulder. wal still breathing
when the train crew reached him. Death.
however, released him from his sufferinRs
in a few minutes.
The belief that McCune, after failing to
find the man he was seeking in the rail-
road yards, noticed the train pulling out
for uptown and attempted to board it is
borne out by the fact that his watch and
a small sun of money which had evil
IDENTIFY fallen out of his pockets were found
by the rails almost a block north of where
'hO was pIouSht 10 u STOP MCCune ,
body was found on the west of the tracks,
while all the member of the crew of the
train we're on the other side, and this ac-
counts for the fact that they did not notice
him attempt to board the train, II such was
the case.
Coroner Treynor ordered the body taken
to Cutters undertaking rooms. DIR. Treynor
had not decided last evening whether he
would hold an inquest. He said he did not
think an inquest would be necessary, but
would not decide until he had consulted
with the relatives of the dead man.
Mr.. McCune Is survived by hts wife and
enc son. For a number of years he was
trav cling salesman for the Stewart Bros.
grocery house. From April /. 1906, to. April
j. 1907, he was secretary of the Council
Bluffs lodge Of Elks and recently had be-
come associated with the Alliance Life In
surance company as its local agent. He
came to Council Bluffs about ten years
ago from Johnson county, Of which his
father was one Of the first settlers. His
sister lie the wife Of Judge 0. D. Wheeler
OF the district court. Judge Wheeler, on
being informed of the accident, at once
adjourned court and proceeded TO McCune's
home.
Mr.. McCune was a prominent member OF
the local lodge of the United Commercial
Travelers' association. in which he held an
insurance policy for 50, 800. He is also said
to have held a policy for 5000 in one of
Ethe Iowa accident insurance companies.