The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1923-11-15
Coroner's Jury Decides
Farmer Died as Result
of Accident.
INQUEST HELD TUESDAY
Fireman Says He Was Alive
When Train Hit Him, as
He Lay on Trestle.

Startled by the whistle of the APP
preaching train, Frank Schwartz start
ed to run across the Fox river trestle
of the Northwestern road slipped on
the damp ties and in falling struck
his head and rendered himself un-
conscious. Then he lay where he had
fallen until the train crushed him.
This was the opinion of the coroner's
jury at the inquest held yesterday at
the Fox River station, when facts
surrounding the death of Schwartz, a
46-year-old farmer living one-half mile
south of the trestle, who was crushed
to death Sunday night shortly after
IL o'clock by the west-bound milk train.
Circumstances surrounding the .acci-
dent showed that his death was caus-
ed when he was struck by the train,
thus eliminating the theory that he
had met his death elsewhere and the
body placed on the tracks to cover up
traces of the crime.
Fireman Finds Body.
The fireman of the train Edward B.
Hunt, who caught fash of the figure
of man lying between the rails as
the train roared onto the east end of
the trestle, testified at the inquest. He
said that he shouted over the boiler
head to the engineer Glen Ward, that
he thought they had killed man.
The train was travelling about forty
miles an hour.
Ward threw on the air brakes, and
when the train, which consisted of
seven empty milk cars, had been
brought to a stop, despatched Hunt
to investigate. Hunt returned to
the engine with the information that
he had found what remained of the
mans body.
The fireman then went to the Fox
River station and called C. w. Davis,
the agent. The station lay just a few
feet from where the train was brought
to stop. Together the two men went
back for the body and brought it
to the station. The agent then called
Coroner Truman T. Parker.
Explode Foul Play Theory.
On the witness stand Hunt testified
that the body was still warm when
he got back to it. He said that he
had seen several men meet death be-
meath the wheels of locomotives and
that the condition of Schwartz's body
showed beyond doubt that he was alive
until crushed by the train.
Ward then took the stand. He said
that he had been running about forty
miles an hour, and that he did. not
know that they had hit any one until
Hunt shouted over to him He said
that he had been looking for a whist
ling post which was located beside the
track. For miles they had been run
ming through thick banks of fog, which
lay in all the low places, and that just
before they hit the trestle they went
into one of these banks.
Had he been looking ahead of the
tCain, he estimated that he could
probably have seen about 100 feet
at that point. This he said would
not have allowed him time to stop
the train at the speed at which he
was travelling.
Blows Crossing Whistle.
At the point where the 500 line and
Northwestern tracks cross, he said he
sounded his whistle. That was back
about a quarter of mile. It was this
blast OF the whistle, announcing the
approach of the train, which the jury
believed startled Schwartz.
Investigation showed that he had
been in Silverlake on Sunday evening.
lie had stopped in at Wards ice cream
parlor to get Ward to drive him home
but the proprietor was out for the
evening. A check Of the soft drink
parlors showed that he had not visited
them during the evening. Persons
who saw him start home said that
he would have had just about time
to get to the trestle before the train
got there.
On the stand both Hunt and Davis
testified that when they went back
for the body they found the ties Of
the trestle wet and slippery from
the fog and that they almost slipped
once or twice.
Relatives testified that while
Scvhwatz was man of considerable
means, he seldom kept any large sums
of money either on his person or
about I his house, and that it was
highly improbable that any one had
robbed and murdered him.