Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1919-05-30
THREE MEET DEATH BY
ACCIDENTS IN THREE DAYS
A. L. Seelinger, a Stranger. Killed by Train
= Samuel Pritchard Crushed by Wagon-Ed-
ward Dayton Kicked by Horse.

An evil spirit seems to have hover
ed over this section the past week. as
three persons met accidental deaths
within 48 hours. The first one was a.
stranger by the name of A. L. Seelin-
ger, who was killed at Pescadero Sid
ing last Saturday morning by being
struck by the engine of passenger
train No. 10. Seelinger was walking
on the track, west bound. Owing to
the curve in the track at that point,
Engineer Brady did not see the man
at all. AS soon as Fireman Lockman
saw him, he notified Brady, who blew
the required danger signal. Robt.
Ludwig of Nounan, who was waiting
at the crossing for the passenger
train to pass, and Brakeman Young
of freight, which was on the siding,
both saw the engine hit Seelinger
Both state that he apparently paid no
heed to the danger signal, but they
supposed he would step from the
track before the train reached him.
When Fireman Lockman saw that
the engine was about to hit the man,
he gave Engieer Brady the signal to
apply the emergency brakes, which he
did, but the train was not brought to
a stop until after the engine and sew
eral cars had passed over the body,
cutting it into a half dozen or more
pieces. The pieces were picked up,
placed in canvas and taken on to
Soda Springs. They were brought
back to Montpelier on No. 18 and
turned over to Coroner Williams.
Among the papers on the body was
found pass book on the State Bank
of Dillworth, Oklahoma. A message
was sent to the police officers there,
who replied that the mans wife re-
sided at Peckham, Okla. She was
notified by wire of her husbands
death, and she wired the amount nee
essary to pay for shipping the body
to Newkirk, Okla, for burial. 1t was
sent out ON No. Tuesday night.
The body was so badly mangled that
MIR. Williams could do but little to-
wards placing the pieces together SO
they would resemble a human being.
Seelinger was in Montpelier last
Friday night and when accosted by
Officer Buck, he said that he was
broke" and was hunting work. Buck
took the man into one of the restaur-
ants and gave him a meal, which
was the last he saw of him.
Coroner Williams empanelled ju-
ry and an inquest was held Monday
morning. After hearing all of the
evidence obtainable the jury return
ed a verdict to'the effect that the kill
ing was purely accidental, and due
to the mans negligence in not heed
ing the warning given by Engineer
Brady. The verdict exonerated the
train crew from any responsibility for
his death.
Samuel Pritchard was the second
person to meet almost instant death
In an accident which occurred at
1880 O'Clock last Sunday morning.
Mr.. Pritchard was an old resident of
Bear Lake county, having resided at
Paris for Is years.
About four weeks ago Mr.. Pritch-
ard came to Montpelier and was en-
ployed by his brother-in-law, Easton
Kelsey, to drive one of the street
sprinkling wagons. He was engaged
In that work when he met with the
fatal accident. He had backed the
sprinkler up to the water plug just
west of the Montpelier mill. The
tank had been filed and Mr.. Pritch-
ard was about to unscrew the hose
from the plug, when the team start
ed up. In order to reach the team
he had to go around a small shed.
rh;s brought him out directly in front