The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-01-30
Was FAULT OF
THE CHILDREN
Cause of the Distressing Accident
on the X. & w. Wednesday
Afternoon at Arbela,
Missouri.
THE TREATMENTS STORY
one Girl Ran Across Track and the
Others Tried to Follow Her
in Front of the
Train.

The sad death of the two little girls
al Arbela, Mo-, on Wednesday after
noon. was caused by a thoughtless
dare given by one OF the three Flick
sisters, who ran across the track
ahed of the train and dared the pttser
two girls to follow her The Center
of the accident:
Now. I'm across: bet you're afraid
to come. This childish. thoughtless
dare is said TO have resulted in the
death of two little girls. VINO took
the challenge and attempted TO cross
the track in front of a X. & ". freight
train at Arbela. Mo-, yesterday after
noon.
Engineer H. W. Lewis. OF this city.
saw the little girls hand in hand rush
onto the track only a few feet in
front of the engine. and stiffling a
sensation of horror, he pushed the
throttle lever back and reached for
the air brake bur it was too late The
little tots had almost crossed the
tracks but they had not reached a
point of safety and were struck by the
left hand engine pilot, which knock
ed them off the track orc being in
stantly killed, the other dying a few
minutes later.
Il could not see the little girls
until they ran onto the track said
Engineer Lewis. in telling OF the &c
currence this morning because the
depot hid them from view except for
a small space the width of the plat
form. When | saw them run onto the
track they wer- only five feet in front
of my engine and if it were in my
power TO have stopped | certainly
would have done SO. We had slowed
up for the station and were going
about eight miles an hour, and could
have stopped in two or three car
lengths. had l seen the children
occurred. but I feel that l could not
help it,
Engineer Lewis md Fireman
Cheney Reisner went this morning on
No. i to testify before the coroner's
inquest which was set for l so o'clock
this afternoon.
The girls Who met such sad and IN
timely deaths were Jane Flick aged
Z. and Dora, aged 49, Their sister,
who is reported to have dared them
TO repeat her act of lodging the train.
was the second daughter. aged about
10. ali being daughters of Fay Flick.
It is reported that in addition TO the
elder sister. the father also viewed
the accident from the depot platform
but al least, he was at the scene in
few minutes. One man. however. is
said to have been standing Just south
of the tracks at the time and saw the
girls struck.
The Arbela depot is located on the
north side of the track which runs
east and west at that point At the
west end IT the depot there Is no side
walk, the section of the north OF
the track being sparsely settled The
little girls had been home 70 dinner
and were returning 10 school about
1870 y. m, when the accident oc-
Cured
The train which struck tie girls
was freight No. II. which left keokuk
for Centerville in the morning and
was doing work along the road Il
was in charge of Conductor Caster
who did not sec the accident and was
not summoned to the inquest. Fire
man Reisner, it seems also saw the
girls thrown from the track from his
position at the left hand cab window.
and was much affected by the sad ar
fair.