Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1919-01-23
A DREADFUL ACCIDENT.
Freight Train Strikes Hearse in
Funeral Procession on Main Street.

One OF the most shocking accident.
that we have ever been called upon Il
record occurred last Sunday about noor
at the Main street crossing Of the Nor
felix & Western Railway in Shepherds
town, when double header freigh
train struck and demolished the auto
mobile hearse of Undertaken R. S. M
Hoffman, containing the corpse Of Mrs
Mary Needy. The funeral service o.
Mrs. Needy had been conducted in the
Reformed church by Rev. S. L. Flick
niger, and at its conclusion the coflr
containing the corpse was placed ir
the hearse, which was driven BY Mr.
Hoffman's son, John c. Hoffman. The
railroad track is less than two hundred
feet from the church, and the hearse
was driven slowly down the slight in.
cline from the church. The driver
Mr.. Hoffman, seems neither to havs
heard nor seen the swiftly approaching
train as it came around the curve from
the south, and just as the hearse was
squarely on the track the locomotive
struck it with terrific crash. The &C
cident was Witnessed by a number of
persons who had come from the church,
and they were Mortified by the catas-
trophe. The chassis Of the hearse was
thrown about hundred feet across
the street and along the driveway to the
passenger station, with Mr.. Hoffman
partly under it. The body of the car,
badly broken, was carried on the pilot
OF the locomotive five or six hundred
feet to point some distance beyond
the station, when, as the train slowed
down, it fell to one side Of the track.
The engineers stopped the train by the
time the locomotives had gotten to the
river bridge.
Those who had witnessed the ac-
cident went first to the relief of Mr..
Hoffman. He was found under the
rear part of the chassis of the funeral
car, which was lifted from him and he
was drawn out. He was covered with
blood from numerous scalp wounds
and being partly unconscious from the
shock, it was at first thought that he
was dead. He was taken into the home
of Robert G. Miller, and DR.. BurwelI
and DR.. Horace Banks who had been
summoned were soon by his side and
gave him surgical attention. Al
examination showed that he was suffer
ing from the shock and that ne ha'
sustained some bad cuts about thu
head, that one of his ribs was fractured
and he was considerably bruised. His
injuries, however, were found not to be
of an extremely serious character, and
after he had been given first aid he was
carried to his home on stretcher He
has since been getting along very well
and no fatal result is anticipated.
In the meantime other persons had
gone down the track to where the other
part of the hearse had been carried
by the locomotive. When it fell from
the pilot it landed on one side. The
coffin containing the corpse had its top
broken off and was partly demolished,
but it was a qualification to note that
the body was not mutilated in any par
ticular. There was not scratch upon
it indeed, it was not much discom-
posed. 1t was taken to Mr.. Hoffman's
rooms, where it was
placed in another coffin, and shortly
was inferred in Elmwood
Cemetery.
The accident created a good deal OF
in our community. Ii oc-
Cured on the Main street just about
the time the churches had ended the;i
services, and many persons
went to the scene of the catastrophe
nearly everybody being greatly shock.
ed at the terrible occurrence. Many
expressions of regret were heard con-
corning the misfortune. Persons ling
cred about the scene most of the after
noon, and many people came from the
country and from neigh
boring towns when the news Of the &C
,ident was made known.
, The hearse was entirely demolished,
sxcept that the twelve-cylinder engine
seems not to have been injured
The body of the car was torn from the
chassis and completely shattered, prob
ably beyond repair. The heavy steel
frame of the chassis was bent and
broken, one wheel was smashed to
atoms, the steering gear was torn out
in short, the splendid car was made an
utter wrick. This hearse, which was
purchased by Mr.. R. S. M. Hoffman in
Piqua, Ohio, year or two ago, was one
Of the finest funeral cars in this section.
II had a powerful twelve-cylinder en-
CINE, was handsomely finished in pearl
grey on the exterior and mahogany on
the inside, and the loss is not only
serious one to the undertaken, but
great inconvenience besides, for many
reasons.
Just how Mr.. Hoffman failed to note
MS imminent danger is not known. The
bell at the crossing was ringing, but
he probably failed to hear it because
Of the noise of the engine OF his own
ear, as he was enclosed in the cab al
the front end Of the hearse. Apparent
" he had not looked up the railroad in
time either to stop his car or to speed
i across the track, and the full impact
IF the heavy train was the first intima-
ton he had of his peril. The engineer
Of the first locomotive saw the hearse
on the track and blew his whistle, but
as he was only couple Of hundred
feet from the crossing it was impos-
sible to reduce speed sufficiently to
avoid the accident The train was
stopped as quickly as possible, but
there was nothing that could be done
then. The force of the collision tore
the cowcatcher from the locomotive
Later in the afternoon the damaged
hearse was taken to the shop Of the
National Highway Garage, where later
Mr.. Hoffman will decide what he will
do with it.
The train was drawn by engine 339
L. P. Carwell engineer and L. P. Hol'
den, fireman, and engine 446, with II.
D. Williamson engineer and E. W
jenkins fireman.