Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-02-16

Awaiting a statement from Alex
! Louks \ of his version of the terrible
affair of Tuesday afternoon. when he
! was injured and his brother Charles
lost his life, Coroner A. r. Lynn ex-
pected to take no action today in the
case of the grade crossing accident. in
! which Chica go & Northwestern east
! bound passenger train No. 80 ran down
1t has been found that witnesses 10
| the tragedy differ in their statements
I as to whether or not the gates were up
when Alex drove his car under them.
or whether the man WAS careless and
! drove under as the gates were de-
scending.
At least one witness has been found
who says the gates We're UP. This wit
ness is E. l. Monohon, a well-known
Timber Creek township farmer who
was driving a team TO bob sled and
was directly behind the Louks broth
ers when they passed under the gates
Were Being Lowered Says Gateman.
Frank Musil. gateman employed at
| the Center street crossing by the
! Northwestern. told Coroner Lynn prac-
tically the same story as did E K
Peterson. of I,eGrand. and H. Bouchie
Of Detroit, to the effect that the gates
were being lowered as the men drove
under them.
lMusil says that the car was being
driven very fast. and ran into the
gates as they were coming down. The
gates caught the car, which went on
gates was said by Musil TO be bent.
! and the under side Of this gate was
found by the coroner 20 have been
freshly splintered. The only point in
which Musirs statement differs from
that Of Peterson and Bouchte is that
the engine Of the automobile had not
been killed at the time the locomotive
struck the car. According to the cor
the engine was dead when the train
Struck the car.
AIex Louks Not Seriously Hurt.
According to Or. G. E Hermance.
the railroads surgeon, who cared for
Alex Louks. he is not badly injured.
He sustained a blow on the top of the
head. which was cut In two places to
, the skull. There Is no fracture Of the
skull. The mans right hip was bruised
! badly. LoIks was resting as easily as
could be expected today, and passed a
good night. He was con -ctous only at
intervals thru the night. however.
Says Hs Could Not SEQ Train.
Upon being questioned concerning
the accident during one Of his lucid
spells. DR.. Her,nance got a statement
from Louks Of his version Of the aoci-
dent.
Louks said that he was hit on the
head by the descending arm OF The
gate as he Uas trying to stop his car.
Louks said he was unable to see the
approaching train because Of a freight
train which was sidetracked on the
track Just north of the main line. He
was not aware Of any danger until he
| saw the gates coming down, and then
attempted to put on his emergency
| brakes. Just as he was reaching for
! the lever he says the descending gate
caught him on the head. knocking him
unconscious. From then he knew
nothing.
Might have been worse.
| That the accident might have been
worse, and that the lives Of Mrs. Alex
Louks and her baby daughter might
also nave been IN danger. was learned
! Tuesday evening, when Mrs. Loults
visited the Pursel morgue to sac her
! brother in laws body. Mrs Lo,Iks and
her 7-months- old daughter Agnes
| May, had driven to the city in the
| morning with her husband and his
! brother. She Rad intended returning
| home. but her husband urged her to
remain at the home Of her sister. Mrs
/ NJ. l. O'Connell. 16s North Third ave-
nue.. and have some dental work done.
This Mrs. Louks decided to do during
| the afternoon. When first Informed OF
! the tragedy the news was to the eff
feet that her husband had been killed.
! Was Native of County.
Charles Louks was a native OF the
county, having been born on the farm
| Of his father. Peter Louks three miles
northeast of Laurel, Sept. Il. 1899. He
! is survived, in addition to his parents,
| by the brother who was with him at
!