Chariton courier. (Keytesville, Chariton County, Mo.) 1878-current, 1909-02-26
VOLUME xxx.

Eli OCrOU6, au OlO Luou OO yOoI .
old, on his way from Nickerson,
Kas., to Springfield, ILL.,, was
caught on the west half OF the
Mussel Fork bridge, just west of
Keytesville station, by fast Wa
bash train No. 9, about 7:15
o'clock Friday night and almost
crushed into an irrecognizable
mass. His skull was terribly
fractured, his brains splashed
along the bridge ties and south
rail, and his body from the chest
down was torn into email frag.
ments, some of them not being
more than half the size OF an
adults fist. In some instances
the bones were denuded of the
flesh and fell through the bridge
to the ground beneath. One piece
of a broken bone was partly
driven into bridge tie, slig htly
splitting the tie.
At the time the old man was
struck, the train was about 10
minntes late, was running at the
rate of near 80 miles an hour,
and having just rounded sharp
curve the engineer did not take
an the situation until it was too
late.
When first seen the old man
was down on his hands and
knees, and when he saw the train
bearing down upon him he raised
and waived one hand as it signal
ing the train to stop. He was
evidently crawling across the
bridge when caught in his peril
GUS condition. Realizing the aw.
full, but totally unavoidable, con.
sequence of his inability to stop
in time to saws human life, the
engineer backed up the train and
informed Night Operator Dye at
Keytesville station of what had
happened, and Mr.. Dye at once
telephoned DR.. Isaiah Knott, cor
oner. DR.. Knott, accompanied
by Deputy Constable James Wor.
sham ana several of our citizens,
went to the scene as quickly as
he could get there, and the man
gled remains of the aged victim,
whose hair was as white as cot
ton, were gathered together by
Section Foreman B. .Rayl and
his crew as best they could, al.
though parts of the body were
scattered over a distance cover.
ing, perhaps, 100 yards.
Coroner Knott then took charge
of the corpse and had it taken to
J.. Rucker's undertaking es-
tablishment, whence, after being
placed In a pauper coffin, it was
cr d to potter's field in the
cit, .u.netery late Sunday after
noon, but was not buried until
Monday morning, brief funeral
services being conducted at the
grave by Rev. .. H. Phillips,
pastor of the M. E. church, South.
A badly wrecked silver watch,
a pocket. knife, some chewing
tobacco, an empty pocket. book,
five or six OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES,
all newly laundered, q full set OF
false teeth, two bank books, one
from the State bank of Lawrence,
Kas,, and the other from the
State bank of Nickerson, Kas., q
letter to Bert Holmes of Ashland,
ILL.,, a letter to the State bank at
Nickerson, Kas., an envelope
bearing the address of Mrs. M.
E. Roberts, Lawrence, Kas., 719
New Jersey, and the remains of
a lunch, wrapped in part of a
copy of the Woman's National
Daily of St. Louis, addressed to
w. W. Daily, a farmer of 1 1.2
miles east of Brunswick, and from
whom the old man begged his
dinner Friday.
The book from the State bank
of Lawrence, Kas., showed a de.
posit of 5000 by Eli Strobe, under
date of December q, 1907, and
another deposit of $50 under date
of June 2, 1908.
The book from the State bank
of Nickerson, kss., discloses q
credit of $500 in Mr.. Strode's