The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-04-05
He Was Struck BY Taxi Cab Saturday
Night as He Was Boarding Street
Car 80. Go 70 His
Home.
PROMINENT IN KEoKUK
He was one Of the Pioneer Lumber
Men and One Of the Oldest River
Captains in
keokuk.

/ Captain B. P. Taber die,
at 1880 o'colck this mornin!
as the result of injuries sustained
when he was struck by q taxi-cai
Saturday night while boarding ;
street car at Fourth and Maid street
The driver of the taIi-c2b. q coloret
imam named Hinton, was questioned
BY the police today concerning thu
accident, and a coroneTs jury viii
hold an inquest this afternoon in tn,
effort to place the responsibility 70;
the accident
(, Captain Taber was coming across
Main street from Seibert's to board
the street car which had stopped
The taxi driver ran in between the
street car and the people coming out
to take the car. and struck Captain
Taber, throwing him across the inter
section. The taxi driver violated q
state law in not slowing up at the
4, intersection and in passing street
car standing still to take on and dis
charge passengers. The police say
Hinton admits striking Mr.. Taber.
Medical aid was summoned imme.
diafely, but on account of the shock
as well as the serious nature of his
injuries Captain Taber failed to rally
and died this morning. His body was
terribly mutilated by the accident.
Was at Picture Show.
Captain Taber had been attending
"a picture show at the Colonial
theater. 1t was storming and he
asked G. T. Thorpe, manager of the
theater, to get him taxi. Mr.. Thorpe
called and the first time the line was
busy The next time he reached the
taxi stand and was informed it would
be a few minutes before the taxi
could come. Captain Taber remark
ed Never mind, I'll get street car"
With this remark Captain Taber
and E. E. Hawkes. started across the
street. Captain Taber went to Sci
bert's and Justice Hawkes. to Shee-
hans.
Mr.. Thorpe said he could see Mr..
Taber coming out TO get the car, and
that he had taken a step to get up
on the car platform. The next thing
he saw was his body crumpled up on
the pavement in front Of the Home
cafe. Alvin Kraft helped to pick Mr..
Taber up and did not recognize him,
he was so covered with blood.
Witnesses to the accident say that
the taxi driver was running reck-
lessly and driving beyond all speed
limitations. The body of the man
he struck was thrown clear across
the intersection at Fourth street. The
motorman on the street car said that
the taxi driver drove 50 close to his
car that he nearly struck the door
of the car. The taxi-cab belonged to
a man named CLANCY.
Death is Regretted.
Captain Taber's death will be uni
regretted in Keokuk where
be was SO well known. His death
seems so tragic to come in the form
that it did to a man who has always
been SO rugged and SO full of health
and vitality. Captain Taber was
man of great ability as is shown in
The successful manner in which he
quilt up the lumber business which
bears his name, and in the way in
which he conducted all of the bust
ness in which he was interested.
Captain Taber was interested in
life in every phase. He was an en-.
.husiastic supporter and admirer of
He, was identified with the
Heokuk club and was a familiar
igure there. Captain Taber was one
if the few pioneer lumber men in
his vicinity and probably the last of
he old time river captains in Keo-
suk.
Prominent in Business.
3. p Taber was for years a most !
prominent figure in connection with |
he lumber interests in Iowa. There |
nave been no esoteric chapters in |
lis entire history, but there has been !
! ready recognition and utilization OF |
combined with close ap-
,lication in the control and develop. /
nent of the business interests with |
which he has been associated. At /
he time OF his death he was con- |
.ected with lumber trade covering I
hree states. He was president OF !
he business which was conducted i
Inder the name Of the Taber Lumber
company. ~~3
A native OF Massachusetts, he was
,orn IN Lynn ON the sixth OF May. /
1886, and was the son Of Thomas and
Ann Phillips Taber. In 1853 the
amiIy came to Keokuk where the !,
spent their remaining days, I
he father dying on the third of Feb 7
uary, 1877, and the mother Septem-
,er IL, 1858.
Mr.. Taber had but limited educa-
ionsl opportunities. He attended
chool in Cincinnati, Ohio, but owing i
o his fathers affliction he was early 4
brown on his own resources and
7henr boy in years began making
is own living. In January 1855, he
anne to Keokuk and at the corner Il
( Fifth and Blondeau streets estab. I,
shed a retail grocery under the I,
rm name OF Taber and Tisdale. He II
fterward removed the business to 4
ne present site of the Hotel Iowa IL
nd in 1859 sold out II