The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-11-04
HERO is RE- ARDED
Geo. E. McCue, Garden City Ne
gro. Gets Medal and Money.
Saved Life of Child at Risk of
His Own.
IN FRONT OF A TRAIN
Baby Carriage Blown Onto the
Track by High Wind.
Limited Train Brushed Clothes
and Threw Him Down.
IN FRONT OF A TRAIN

n
Garden City, Kan. Nov. 4.-Georpe
E. McCue the colored man who two
years ago rescued the little daugh-
ter of Mr.. and Mrs.,,v. o. Herman
from being ground to death under the
wheels of Santa Fe passenger train.
has been rewarded for his brave act
by the Carnegie hero commission
which has awarded him a bronze
medal and $500 in money to attend
school,
The action of the commission meets
with the approval of every one in this
section of the state who is familiar
with the particulars of the thrilling
man. -
one afternoon in November two
years ago, Mrs. Herman went to the
express office in this city wheeling her
little daughter, in a baby carriage.
Wnlle the mothers was transacting
rage containing the little girl was left
on the depot platform. sudden gust
OF wind started it rolling towards the
edge of the platform where it
toppled onto the railroad track.
The air was filled with flying par
scene Of the accident failed to notice
the predicament of the little one
McCue who is baggage agent at the
Santa Fe depot a block away, was
preparing truck load of baggage for
number 10. the Santa Fe fast train
which was just about due, and glancing
up the track to see if the train was in
sight, witnessed the plight of the lit
tie one. ssF
Without moments hesitation he
started up the track at his highest
speed and raced toward the approach
ing train which was almost upon him
when he reached the child He
grasped the baby cart by the strap
which held the little girl prisoner
and attempted to swing her to place
of safety. The strap parted and the
child fell back ons the track almost
under the wheels of the heavy en-
CINE. Again he went to the rescue
and this time carried the child to
place of safety just as the engine
swished by so closely that his cloth
ing was brushed by the cars and he
was thrown to the ground.
People Were Thrilled.
The final scene in the act of
heroism was witnessed by half
dozen people who stood ,transfixed
with horror at the sight, among them
the mother of the baby who came out
of the depot just in time to. witness
the rescue. The baby was found to be
safe and uninjured although the cart
in which it had riddensfI was a wreck
from the severe treatment winch II
had received.
McCue was rewarded by the par
ents of the child who are poor with a
locket containing picture of the lit
tie girl and appropriate inscriptions
told of the thrilling rescue The
matter was presented to the Carnegie
commission shortly afterwards by
the residents of this city and the ac
ton taken this week is the result.
Pathos is added to the story by the
fact that the little girl who figured in
so thrilling a rescue sickened and
died about a year ago.
A tragedy in the life of the man
whose heroisrn has just been pub
Ideally rewarded is the fact that he
served term in the reformatory, or
a part of one for crime which is now
almost a certainty that he did not
commit He protested his innocence
at the time of his conviction on cir
cumstantia1 evidence.
Despite the fact that he was friend
less and unknown, Garden City resi-
dents who were familiar with his
conviction interested themselves in
his case and secured a pardon for him
after he had served but small por-
ton of his sentence.