The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-10-10
F. n. George Is Fatally Injured
Today.
Street Car Collides With His
Wagon.
THROWN TO PAVEMENT
His Skull Is Fractured by the
Fall
Man an Old Soldier Who Has No
Relatives.

Francis NJ. George. an aged express
man, was fatally injured at e;35
etery street car crashed into his wagon
near the corner of Sixth avenue and
Monroe street.
His head was crushed, a leg and a
collar bone broken besides other
bruises and hurts when he was thrown
to the pavement with his wagon falling
over onto him. DR.. ]. D. Freeman
was called from the nearby Santa tie
hospital to render first attention, after
which he was sent to Christs hospital.
He was unconscious from his injuries
and had not regained CONSCIOUSNESS
this afternoon. No hope for his re-
covery is entertained because of his
advanced years.
He was delivering a trunk from the
Rock Island depot at the time of the
accident and turned east on Sixth ave
nue. coming from the north on Mon
roe street. Witnesses and Motorman
Walter Stogsdill and Conductor A. NJ
Jarboe, in charge of the car, agree
that George turned east on the north
side of Sixth avenue and then at
tempted to cross to the right side APP
parently he did not hear the car
though the motorman claims ne sound
ed his gong repeatedly.
The street car, going down the hill,
caught his wagon as he crossed and
pushed it along some 100 feet, jam
ming the front end into one of the
iron poles between the two tracks. The
impact caused the wagon to swing
over toward the north, throwing the
expreSSman out across the north
track, his head striking the pavement
two feet past the north rail The
wagon followed and was found to have
q broken wheel and spring, a bent axle
where it had struck the iron pole, and
the bed of the wagon was pushed out
of place. The two ponies George was
driving escaped without injury though
one was under the fender when the
car finally was stopped.
DOoI of blood was left where the
old mans head struck the jagged
brick pavement and his felt hat was
soaked with blood from ms fractured
skull. AS those who saw the accident
hurried TO his side and picked him up,
ne seemed to have had every bone
broken He was unconscious but his
name was learned from his wagon and
Elijah Booher, his close friend, soon
came to take charge of affairs.
The old man was an inveterate
smoker and while driving his wagon
The piece of cob was lying near the
wreck Booher pulled the stem out of
the injured mans mouth 1t had
been driven back into his head by the
fall and was covered with blood.
George was an old soldier 20 years
of age. BOOher is of the same age
and has lived most of the last six
months with him, the two patching at
707 Smith street Booher is not sure
what state his cOmrade enlisted from, ]
but says he had been captured and
held prisoner in Libby prison. His
wife left him IA years ago and since
that time he has earned his living
hauling baggage and has lived by
himself. Booher's cOmpanionship /
was occasioned by a fall George had |
last spring when he broke a rib and
was so injured he remained idle for |
three months confined to his house. |
His foot slipped from the hub of his |
wagon at the Santa F'e baggage plat |
form and his side struck the edge of |
the curling. Only lately Booher left |
him to take a room up town.
The injured mans worldly goods |
are confined to his wagon and ponies |
with which he earned his livelihood |
His wagon was regarded by the aged |
and ill kept haulers of the city as |
one of the best for he had had it |
built, not so long ago, at a cost of |
$3.50. The little ponies he was driv- |
ing were we'll kept and we'll shod. He /
had not had them long and had paid |
in the neighborhood of 5000 for the I
team.
There is no one dependent upon the |
old man. The only relatives he has
are a sister and her husband who live /
at Carbondale. Old soldiers were /
gathered about his wrecked wagon this /
morning and probably will take care [
of him and his property.