The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1922-04-14
TRAGEDY OCCURS
DURING EVENING
Lloyd Met rystaIand Rose
Augustine Victims
ANOTHER ONE ESCAPES
Sorrowful End Of Journey That
Began Very Pleasantly IN
Minneapolis.

Two persons are dead and one
| narrowly escaped death as a result
| OF monoxide gas poisoning from the
exhaust pipe of the White delivery
| truck owned by the Windmiller com
pany, Mankato florists. The dead
| are Lloyd McCrystal, aged twenty
three, plumber employed by C. M.
Masters for the last five years. and
and Rose Augustine of Springfield
| and Minneapolis, who was a former
resident of this city.
William Thilgen of the Windmiller
company is the member of the
party who narrowly escaped death
after having been partially over
come but he is now recovering from
the attack at his home on Windmill
Ter hill.
Wednesday morning at SIX o'clock
the Windmiller company sent its
truck driver, George Enfield of this
city, to Minneapolis with a truck
load of plants to be delivered to
Minneapolis and st. Paul florists.
Accompanying him were Thilgen,
an employee of the company, and
Lloyd McCrystal, who took the trip
in order that he might visit his
mother, who is a resident of Min
neapolis. The three men left Mar
kato at six o'clock in the mcrnifs
and arrived in MinpeapoIis about
snean4 according t.. Enfield. dri1a<
sof the ear Arf3rine ii that city
they drove at once to the home of
Mrs. McCrystal, but found that she
was not at home. McCrystal took
plant from the car and wrote a
note to his mother, telling her that
he was in the city and left both in
the house where she would find
them on her return.
Left Plants at Another Place.
After leaving the note and the
plant, the men drove TO the floral
store of o.. R. Eckhart in ST. Paut
where some flowers were left and
then to the Holm & Olson flower shop
where more plants had been con
signed These two deliveries clear
ed the lower deck of the truck and
the upper deck remained filed with
plants that were to be sold if pos
sibls to other shops. The men called
upon a number of florists in st.
Paul and were unable TO dispose of
their wares. They then returned to
Minneapolis where they called at
the Macy flower shop and made
another effort to sell the plants but
found that none were wanted.
This was about five O'Clock in the
evening and the three men went
for supper. From there they drove
once more to the home of Mrs Nc
Crystal, but she had not yet re-
turned. Enfield, driver of the truck,
was impatient to get away for the
return trip on account of a bad
mudhole in the vicinity of the
bridge and was not
to wait but McCrystal ask
ed that the start be delayed until
he might be able to locate his moth
err by telephone. Enfield consented
to that and while McCrystal was
looking up. some phone numbers,
the other two men amused them
selves by playing Victroia. While
the McCrystal youth was looking
for the numbers his mother called
was only short distance away and
would be there in few moments
Young Ladies Coming To Mankato.
Mrs. McCrystal arrived soon after
and told the men that two girls,
Rose and MAZE Augustine, who kept
light housekeeping rooms at her
would like to ride in the truck as
hat would mean the saving of car
ARE to this city. 1t was agreed
hat the girls might ride If they ar
rived soon enough and preparations
or the start were made While the
men were getting into the truck.
he girls arrived at the house and
we're ready to start Immediately.
As far as Shakopee the girls rode
n the cab which has a drivers sea:
hat easily accommodates three per
sons At Shakopee when the car
stopped, Rose Augustine got out OF
he cab and went into the rear com
,artment of the truck which was
;till loaded on the upper deck with
plants and sat on some blankets
With her travelling bag behind her.
All three, Rose Augustine, Viii
lam Thilgen and Lloyd McCrystal
;ang for a number of miles and
McCrystal had toy musical instru-
nent through which he played some
lirs that all knew The singing
continued until they came to Belle
olaine where the truck was stopped
md one of the men bought a bottle
If pop for eacn. 1t was becoming
,older in the rear compartment and
he doors were closed reducing the
'entilation in the car TO the mini
mum. From Belle PLANE to lie
sueur, a distance of about six.
cen miles, it " as necessary for En-
ield to drive his car in low gear on