The Whitefish pilot. [volume] (Whitefish, Mont.) 1904-current, 1909-07-16
HUNDLEY IS
KILLED

2AA
Conductor Benjamin Hundley, one of
the best known and most highly respect
ed railroad men on this division, was
killed last Saturday afternoon at $50
O'Clock at Fielding by being crushed be-
tween two cars. He had gone in be-
tween the cars to remove knuckle pin,
the draw bars being in bad order, when
the cars came together and crushed out
his life.
Deceased was man known by prac-
tlcally everybody in this locality. lie
was man of sterling character whom
everybody respected and admired, and
the news of his death was heard with
the deepest sorrow and regret by all.
He was member of the Masonic
lodge. OF the Knights of Pythias, the
Order of Railway Conductors, the Elks
and the Brotherhood of Railway Tram
men.
A wife and young baby are left to
mourn his untimely death, as we'll as
relatives in the east.
A coroner's inquest was held Monday
afternoon under the direction of J. E.
Waggener, county coroner, with County
Attorney Stevens conducting the exami-
nations. The entire train crews of both
trains were present and testified, and all
the evidence proved beyond doubt that
no one in the service of the company
was to blame for the accident.
A number of Western Union linemen
were riding on the train, and it was one
of these men that gave the signal to the
engineer to back up, which movement of
the train caught Conductor Hundley in
the act of withdrawing knuckle pin and
crushed out his life. Up to the time of
the inquest no effort bad been made to
apprehend the lineman that signaled to
the engineer, and it is impossible to un-
derstand just what prompted this man
to assume the responsibility of giving
signals.
1t was shown that because of the train
standing on a reverse curve that the en-
gineer could not see the rear end of the
train where the accident occurred, and
when he received the signal to back up
he of course supposed it was given by
one in authority.
Brakeman j. Rozinc, who was work
ing with Mr.. Hundley in removing the
| knuckle, testified that he heard no warn
ing of the train that it was going to back
| up, and that when the cars came together
Hundley dropped to the ground with
head and shoulders on the rail- Realiz-
ing that it would be impossible to pull
the injured man from beneath the wheels,
he quickly showed him back between the
rails, and the trucks passed over him
without further injury.
Engineer j. d. Shelly, who was in his
cab on the other freight train about
one car length away, whstled the
stop signal Immediately, and the train
stopped within half a car length. The
| injured man was placed in the caboose of
train and brought to Whitefsh, but
died before the train arrived here. 1t is
thought that he lived about an hour and
ten minutes.
The jury's verdict was to the effect
that Mr. Hundley came to his death
while in the performance of his duties
through the giving of signal to the en-
gineer by some person unknown. The
jury was composed Of Ed McConville, J.
H. Crum, F. M. Collins, H. T. Senay,
G. f. Clemens and Silas Shut.
The funeral was held Wednesday, the
services being In charge of Whitetish lodge,
No. GA, A. F. and A. NJ. A short SER
vice was held at the family home in
Whitefish, after which special funeral
train bore the remains to Kalspell,
where interment was made. A large
number of Whitefish people, including
the members of lodges of which deceased
had been member, went to Kalispell,
where services were held in the Episcopal
church before proceeding to the grave
At Kalispell large number of men,
bers of the Masonic lodge and other
friends of the family met the funeral
train and attended services in the church
and at the grave. Rev. Henry NJ. Green
conducted the services at the church, the
Masonic order taking charge at the
nraNaSila