The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1912-12-05
TRAPPED in CAR
BURNED TO death
Awful Fate Overtakes Maryland Man
In Blaze in Fulton Freight Yards.
Sacred Charm Around Neck
Not Consumed.
Z / G HIM M, VA-S

X | & ii MON ID, VA.-SpeciaI.
"A white man, apparently about
twenty-five or twenty-six years
Oid' and supposed 90 be g. s.
Grimes, of Frederick, Md. was
burned almost beyond recOgni-
ton i'm a box car I'm the Fulton
freight yards of the Southern
railway at an early hour this
morning.
The assumption IS that Grimes
III the supposed Identification
proves TO be the correct one
crawled into the car to spend the
night, protected from the cold.
Inc man virtually trapped him.
self. To attain the part of the
car in which his charred BODY
was found. it was necessary for
MN TO climb n pile of lumber
stacked almost TO the roof of his
temporary abOde-enough room
at the top being left to permit of
the passage OF mans body
and descend to the other side. 1t
Is believed that the unfortunate
sought this location because it
was removed from the car doors
and he was reasonably safe from
detection.
What is regarded as significant
by the police and by Coroner
Taylor was the finding of a half
consumed cigarette a few inches
from the mans right hand, which
was crumDled against his breast.
From this the suppositiOn arises
that Grimes dropped asleep while
smoking. or that he threw a
match away and set fire to the
lumber.
a second box car, also loaded
with lumber. and coupled to the
car in which the man persisted,
fell a prey to the flames. The
burning box car was discovered
about o'clock by yard hands,
who Immediately turned in an
alarm.
As one side of the burning car
fell to the ground with a crash
the body of Grimes was revealed.
The sight of the man being
burned alive and the odor of
burning flesh caused spectators
and firemen to turn their faces
away from the scene.
Grimes was beyond all human
aid when efforts were made to
rescue him. The body of the man
was recovered only after the blaze
had burned itself out. Exami-
nation of the charred body de-
velOped the fact that the dead
man was OF slight build, weigh
ing about 100 pounds.
The flesh was burned almost
entirely from his face, portions of
the skull, cheek bones and Jaw
bones being visible. The cloth
ing was burned entirely away
from the waist down. remnants of
the victims shoes cIinging to the
bones of his feet.
In an inside coat pocket, char
red, but still decipherabIe, was
a season pass to the Frederick
(Md.l fair, bearing the name 60.
s. Crimes"
In connection with the burn
ing OF the man NTaS the almost
miraculous salvation of a CathO-
lie charm, which, though con-
structed of cloth, escaped the
flames. The charm was suspend
ed from the mans neck and lay
upon his breast The emblem
is held to be sacred by those of
the Catholic faith.
Coroner Taylor, the body was
turned over TO Undertaken
BiIlups, by whom il will be pre-
pared for burial. It is purposed
TO hold the body until efforts TO
locate relatives of the man, or
at least establish positive identi-
hcation, have been exhausted.
Aside from the pass found on
the body, $3.50 was found in one
of the pockets. The car as were
others, was being loaded here for
shipment North. The police in
cline to the belief that the man
slowed himself away for the
trip North.