The Clio messenger., 1914-10-16
ARCHIE K|EFER DIES
BENEATH CAR WHEELS
~ KILLED AT ROTTIER'S CROSSING
SATURDAY NIGHT
Head Torn From Body and Remains
Strewn Along Track for
Several Rods

An acc1uenC having peculiarly Holii
flying features occurred at Rottier's
Crossing, one mile south of Birch Rum
Saturday night, when Archibald Kiefer,
a farmer living on the Heath farm,
was struck by fast north bound limit
ed car and instantly killed.
Mr.. Kiefer had been in Birch Run
during the early evening and was re-
turAing to his home when the accident
took place. He had purchased supply
of groceries for the family, including
some candy for the children, which he
took with him onto the car leaving
Birch Run at 1852. On arriving at
Rottier's Crossing he left the car at the
same time as did John Rottier who lives
. nearby. The latter Immediately started
for home but looked back casually to
see what had became of Kiefer, who
had evidently been drinking. Mr.. Rot
tiers says that when he looked back
Kiefer was lighting his pipe and that
was the last he saw of him.
What happened to Mr.. Kiefer or just
what he did from this time on is mys-
terry, because he was killed only few
feet from where he alighted from the
south bound car, while the fast north
bound limited that struck him did not
reach that point until about an hour
and half later. The conclusion is
that he stumbled and fell, striking his
head and rendering him unconscious, or
that he laid down upon the track and
went to sleep.
Motorman VIM. Mattison was at the
lever of the first car of the limited
train, which was running at high rate
of speed, and says that the shadows
thrown over the place by the cattle
guards made Kiefer's body look like an
old newspaper when the headlight first
struck it and that he did not discover
the object was human body until he
was within about 200 feet of it, when
he Immediately applied the emergency
brakes, but the heavy train could not be
stopped and ran for hundred feet
after striking Kiefer's body.
The motorman, with Conductors Ar
thur and Robert Jewell, and several of
the passengers on the cars, taking a
lantern, went back along the track and
found the unfortunate mans body had
literally been torn limb from limb and
distributed along the entire distance
traversed by the car after striking it..
The head, completely severed, was
found by Ray Bidwell, of Birch Run,
some distance from other parts of the
remains and was identified by him. The
dsmembered body was gathered in a
blanket and lett in charge of John Rot
tiers who watched it until about 200
o'clock Sunday morning when it WAS
conveyed to an undertaking establish
ment in Saginaw.
Mr.. Kiefer, who was 81 years old. is
survived by widow and eight children,
the oldest of whom is 20 and the young
est three years of age. On Monday,
we are told, attorneys approached Mrs.
Kiefer with proposition to investigate
certain matters having bearing on her
husbands death with view to recov-
ering damages for her on percentage
basis, but any action of this kind was
precluded by application for the ap-
pointment of guardian for the chill
dren so that if damages are recovered
they may receive the full benefit there
from. All good citizens will join in the
hope that if anyone is unlawfully re-
sponsible for this mans terrible death
such responsibility may be fixed anc
the full penalty exacted.
A~coroner's jury viewed Mr.. Kiefer's
remains in Saginaw, Monday afternoon,
heard the evidence concerning his death,
and rendered a verdict that his deac
body had been found at a certain place
on the S. & f. Ry. but did not dea
with-responsibility for the accident il
any way.
Funeral services were held from the
late home of deceased, Wednesday af
ternoon at 200 O'Clock, Rev. Scott, o.
Birch Run, officiating. Interment was
made in the cemetery at the last named
place,