The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-05-09

black TRACK Track About thirty feet from
! the crossing a most gruesome scene
met his gaze. In the dim light o.
the early morning he saw a mans
| face turned skyward, the eyes star
cred clean from the throat upward
through the top of the head. Lying
there, on the track it had the ap
pearance of mask. The back Of
the head was smashed and the
brains were scattered about on the
earth. Walking down the track
other parts of the victims body
were found by the coroner. The
sight was sickening. Near the end
of the depot platform the largest
piece of the dead mans remains
were found. This was the trunk and
near by were parts of his arms and
legs, all mangled and in a frightful
looking mass. Near the puzzle
SWITCH" several hundred feet from
the south end of the depot platform,
was found one leg of pair of
overalls that had been worn by era
ver The garment was ripped the
entire length. However, the pocket
was intact and in it was a jack.
knife.
I Run Over BY Switch Engine.
From every piece of evidence OBJ
tainable, the conclusion can be
drawn that Craver was run over by
the switch engine. Upon investiga-
ton, blood was discovered on the
brace which holds the step to the
front end of the locomotive. The
switch engine has no pilot, or Cow
catcher" Had it been provided with
one the body would probably have
been thrown from the track when
have been mangled in the horrible
manner it was.
Portions of the body were collect
ed and taken to Landkamer Bros.
I,
was identified by the clothes that
were picked up with the remains.
They were the same as those worn
by the man who had been seen in
the depot during the night. Harry
Burg, driver of the mail wagon, was
acquainted with Craver and recog-
niZed the face as his. Others iden-
tilted the remains also.
1t is the supposition that Craver,
after leaving the depot, started to
cross the back track" about sixty
feet north of the platform, and in
his dazed condition he did not see
or hear the switch engine which
struck and knocked him down, the
wheels passing over his body At
this distance from the platform
there is pool of blood on the west
rail and blood was found on the clamp
which holds the right end of the
runboard to the locomotive, and this
corresponds with the blood spot on
the rail. 1t is suspected that the
man was struck by the switch en-
CINE on it's third trip as this trip
was made about two o'clock after
shunting cars for section two of
train No. II. Craver was evidently
walking toward Front street when
the accident happened. No one wit
messed the accident
Coroner Liedloff decided that an
inquest was unnecessary.
Was Day Latorer.
George Craver, the victim of the
accident, was day laborer and had
spent most of his time in and around
Mankato for the past thirty years
He was thirty-eight years old
and single man. He had been
rooming at the home of Abe
Daily in Tinckomville Last week
he was employed by Charles You
man on a ditch near Eagle Lake,
but Saturday evening he came to
this city. He telephoned to his
stepfather, George d. Rorman, who
lives about four miles southeast of
this city, that he would return to-
:
Craver was born in Rome, Faribault
county, September II, 1875, and
came to Rochester when little
boy. Not long after this his par
ents, Mr.. and Mrs. John Craver,
moved to the vicinity of Mankato
and several years ago his father
died. His stepfather and mother,
Mr. and Mrs. George d. Rorman,
live southeast of Mankato Besides
these, he is survived by brother
and a sister, Samuel Craver of Della
van and Mrs. l. NJ. Schindel of
Eagle Lake. His mother was strick-
Ell with grief on account of the un-
timely death of her son, and spoke
In pathetic words of praise, as she
said that her son had always been
an honest, conscientious, hard work
ing boy and very kind to his par
ents. The funeral was held this af-
ternoon at two o'clock from Land
kamer Brothers funeral parlors
MR0 M r HnpKINC MEAN