The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-11-25
Pearl D. Shifts, Aged 2l, Los
es His Life and Walter
Witte Is Injured in Rail-
road Accident.
CREW ALLEGES 1T
WAS NOT WARNED
Engine Steals Up on Crew
Riding on Handcar Smash
ing 1t With Disastrous
Effect.

Members of the C. G. o. bridge crew
of this city are wondering if Engineer
Trimble, running engine No. 1901,
westbound and running light, sound
ed his whistle this morning at $50
o'clock. They claim they received no
warning of the approaching engine.
AS a result of his alleged failure to
do so, the eight members of the crew,
coming into the city from Locust
Grove on a handcar, were run down
on a straight stretch of track just
east of the Boston pike overhead
bridge, two miles south of the city.
Pearl D. Shifts, aged 21, living with
his family on South West E street,
was ground to death. Walter Witte, 904
South Sixth street, was hurled fifty
feet down the embankment by the i'm
pact, sustaining injuries to his left
knee and ankle that will lay him up
for several days. The other members
of the crew escaped by jumping. and
declare their escape is a miracle.
Official Investigation.
The officials of the G. & o. railroad
in this city did not know the name Of
the fireman, and Coroner Pierce says
he has been unable to secure his name.
An official investigation of the acci-
dent will be held Tuesday in the Of
flee of the coroner.
Shifts was killed instantly. His man
gled body was dragged $50 feet, leav-
ing a trail of blood between the
tracks. When members of the horror
stricken crew regained their compos-
ure, they found the brains of the un-
fortunate man scattered on the scene
of the accident, and his body mangled
almost beyond recognition and bleed
ing copiously, lying many feet away.
His head was mashed into an unre-
cognizable shape, the right arm was
broken between the elbow and wrist,
the right leg was dangling from liga-
ment, and the back was broken.
Witte dazed and bruised, was found
at the bottom of the embankment. He
was assisted to the track and placed
in box car which conveyed the dead
man and the crew to the city.
No Escape Possible.
There was no escape for Shifts The
engine, SO members of the crew say,
stole upon them without warning. All
were facing to the front as is custom
ary with crews using handcars. The
first inkling of approaching death was
the cry of Perry Toney, Jump boys,
she's going to hit u.s."
Shifts was pocketed between Toney
and Witte, who were standing on the
front Of the handcar working the pro-
peller. Toney jumped to one side.
Witte was hurled sidewise down the
embankment by the crash, and Shifts,
it is believed, fell headlong in front of
the handcar, which passed over him.
The heavy engine following, mangled
life out of him.
S. n. Snider, foreman of the crew,
took the seven men to Locust Grove
this morning to place posts along the
right of way. With him were Witte
and Shifts. and Theo. Hensly, Dave
Brunner, George Godfrey, Perry Ton
ey and E. J. Douthit. Some of the
men live in box car in the south side.
Shifts had been with the crew about
three months.
After the accident engine No. 1901
proceeded to the South Side yards
where box car was secured. Return
ing to the scene the body was placed
aboard and tho crew taken to the
South Side station.
Engine No. 1901 then proceeded west
to Blountsville, where the crew is as
sisting on construction work.