The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1913-09-12
SERIOUS ACCIDENT
AT THE DEPOT

A very unfortunate and serious acCi.
dent occurred at the depot here Sunday
night which came near resulting in the
death of Mrs. Marie Debois of New
Iberia.
Mrs. Debois is cousin of Mr., Pierre
Hebert and aunt of Dupre Hebert OF
Welsh and had come over from New
Iberia to visit her cousin and nephew.
1t seems that Mr. Hebert who is
about 70 years of age had gone down
to New Iberia and was accompanying
Mrs. Debois, herself being about 60
years of age. The old couple were on
the excursion which arrived at Welsh
about 1925 Sunday night.
There are conflicting accounts of just
how the accident occurred. One &C.
count seems to bear out the idea that
when the train approached Welsh the
old couple started to get off the train
and that the train only slowed down
here, not coming to full stop or else
not stopping long enough for the old
couple to alight, and in stepping from
the moving train Mrs. DeboiS in some
way got her foot caught about the step
and fell under the train, the wheels
running across her left foot MASKING it
into jelly.
Another theory is that the train had
come to stop and that the old couple
had alighted from the train and were
standing near the train when it began
to pull out. There was a rush toward
the train or considerable commotion in
which Mrs. Debois was struck by some
one and knocked under the train.
Mrs. DeboiS was taken at once tC
Lake Charles for treatment, where il
was found necessary to amputate
her foot just above the ankle. At frs
it was feared the accident was fata
but she seems to be standing the ordea
: splendidly and will recover.
Several of the railroad officials from
Lafayette were in Welsh Monday max
ing investigation into the cause OF thu
accident but were unable to locate jus
where the blame for the unfortunate
t accident lay.
: A board of inquiry was organize
e and heard the evidence of the trail
J. crew and several other witnesses bu
e were unable to place the cause OF tn
u accident as to where the fault lay
d The following is the finding OF tn
Il board of Inquiry:
Welsh, La, Sept. s, 1918.
Il We the undersigned comprising tn
u Board of Inquiry to assign cause an
l. afflx responsibility for injury to Mr.
"a Jephiel Dubois, passenger on e.
o cursion extra train No. 443 West. whiC
arrived at Welsh about 1925 or 1890
v m. September 7th, after carefully co
~ sidering the testimony OF the ira
Of and engine crews and questioning tt
witnesses to the accident beg to SUI
nit the following:
W In view of the conflicting repor
IL coupled with the fact that neither t
injured party nor her escort we
physically able to give testimony
OF this investigation and on further
M count of the fact that there were no e
u.s. witnesses available with the excepti
IN of Mr.. C. C. Barbee, whose teStimo
" was somewhat vague, it is difficult I
er your Board of inquiry to assign
90 definite cause or to fix responsible
tie therefor; the Board OF Inquiry &c
Ike not believe it would be justified
ne assigning the responsibility or Cal
of the accident to either the rallr6
7as company or it's employees or to the
no jured party.
abt j. W. KNIGHTL1NGEE
ION L. H. CECIL.
ich W. MIDDLEMAS.
Dr. H. l.. BLOCK.
JOHN T. HOOD.
tit W. E. TAUGHT.
nit