Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-08-11
TRAIN KILLS MAN
asleep IN BUGGY
HORSE LEFT TO PICK WAY HOME
AFTER MlDNlGHT-DR,vEo
ON CROSSING.
CECIL SMITH DEAD
Awakes From Slumber on Brink o
Eternity Too Late to Save Sell
From Fate Under tho
Wheels.

Cecil Smith is dead and Otis Ham
ilton injured as the result OF an acct
dent on road crossing about thre.
and half miles east Of Rutledg'
early Sunday morning. The youni
men were in single buggy and wer
struck by Milwaukee freight train ny
Ga on the Marion line which left OF
tumwa at 4:1O The hour Of the "a
cident Is reported by the railroad q
have been about 4:40. a. NJ.
The body Of Cecil Smith was cut y
two and the halves Of the trunk div
tributed at several feet distance from
the crossing and from each other Otu
Hamilton was brought to Ottumws
and placed in ST. Josephs hospital
where it was found that bruises and
severe shaking up were the eNtent q
his injuries.
Cecil Smith Is son of William
Smith and resides northeast OF OF
tumwa near Dahlonega Young Ham
ilton Is son of John A. Hamilton Of
EecricS.
The young men were in Ottumws
Saturday afternoon and all evening
and are said to have left here late IN
the night They had intended to &c
to Fremont and attend masquerade
at the skating rink there and a black
face mask was found in the buggy
after the accident The coroner when
showing the mask to the injured MN
was told of the Fremont masquerade
party the young men had planned to
attend.
Hamilton Tells Story.
When interviewed at St Joseph's
hospital, Mr.. Hamilton told the follow
ing story OF the accident and the Incl
dents leading up to It. He said.
"We left town sometime after mid
night, should say about 12:3o.ess
have always had habit OF falling
asleep in the buggy when l was driv.
Ing home from town. late at night
Saturday night did the same way and
was fast asleep. l suppose before we
were hardly out in the country. NY
companion did the same thing. Sons
little time after we had started was
awakened as we were riding along the
roadway. did not recognize the sur
roundings and called to Mr.. Smith
who was still sleeping and told hin
that believed we were on the wrong
road. We investigated further and
discovered that we were on the
Dahlonega road and we're at that tins
headed in northeasterly direction to.
ward that place. Smith said that he
had relied upon the horse to get US
home but he guessed that he had
turned onto the wrong road just as we
left Ottumwa We then turned around
and came back to the north road ana
turned toward home.
II had gone to sleep again but
awakened as we were just above the
railroad crossing where the accident
happened. The horse was walking
and We rode down the little incline
onto the tracks. It was then as the
horse was across the tracks but the
buggy still on the rails that ] saw the
train bearing down upon us, yelled
at the horse to make him jump forward
and thus carry the buggy and lis across
but it was too late. cried out to
Smith that train was coming and
that they would hit us but before he
could answer the crash came. was
thrown to one side of the roadway
and was picked up by the train crew,
brought to Ottumwa and then to the
hospital"
The funeral OF Cecil Smith will bs
held Tuesday afternoon from thu
Agency Methodist church. Services
at 2 o'clock, conducted by the Rev. M.
D. Cox. Interment will be made ID
the Agency cemetery. 4