Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1924-04-18
AGED POSTMASTER,
Is FATALLY HURT.

| NUM- lVplilHplANs
| Is FATALLY HURT
Harry S. Williams, aged postmaster
of Capon Road, Shenandoah County
"a, was struck and fatally injured 81
Tuesday by eastbound passenger trair
No. 81 on the Baltimore and Ohio Rail
road in front of the Capon Road sta
ton.
Mr.. Williams was taken to Memorial
Hospital, Winchester, soon after the
accident, and an examination disclosed
that his left leg had been broken an
inch or two above the knee. He was
also suffering greatly from shock. He
died at noon on the day of the accident.
What had appeared at first to be
fracture of the skull proved to be some
skin dissertations and bruises, caused
by falling against the crushed stone
ballast at the side OF the railroad track.
Mr.. Williams was taken to Win
chester on the same train which struck
him, and was accompanied by DR..
Thomas A. Williams, of Middletown,
and the formers son, Walter Williams,
of Capon Road. AS soon as the ply
stefan arrived he gave the injured man
hypodermic injection of On opiate.
DR.. Williams met the train at Mid
dletown, and at once administered the
opiate. Up to that time it had been
necessary for two men to hold Mr..
Williams down on the stretcher upon
which he had been laid by railroad
men at Capon Road. He had insisted
that he was not badly hurt, and wanted
to get up.
Friends were at first inclined to be-
lieve that the right side of Mr.. Will
liams face had been crushed, but this
injury proved to be only scratches, it
was said.
The opinion also was expressed that
his leg may have been broken when,
he fell, and that the injury might not
have been caused by the train.
While no one actually saw the acct
dent, so far as could be learned, it
seemed to be the impression of rail-
road men and others that Mrs Williams
was not struck with full force, but re-
ceived a glancing or brushing blow
which had the effect of pushing him
to one side, and that the bones of his
leg snapped as he fell upon the stones
at the side of the track. He was thrown
not more than six or seven feet, it was
said.
Mr.. Williams had carried a sack of
mail from the west side of the track to |
the side on which the station stands,
and evidently had forgotten TO bring
over paste-board box of parcels postl
matter. He had returned for this and
nad it in his hand when struck by the
engine as he was about to start across
he track again.
The train was drawn by engine No
321, and was in charge of Conductor
hawkins, with T. N. Deck as agineer
The engineer was on the right hand
ide of the cab and did not see MIR.
Williams as he started across the track.
The fireman was not in the cab at the
ime.
The train, which left Strasburg juno
ion on its regular schedule at $50 a.
n, and was arriving at the CaponI
Road station at 1853 a. m. when the
ccident occurred. 1t was running
lowly, and ordinarily would have stop,l
,ed within Is or 20 feet. Il
Mr.. Williams was 76 years of age, and
Though he has not been quite as ac-
i've as he was iii former years he has
,een able to attend to his duties as
postmaster at Capon Road
1t was said that he was to have re-
ired some time ago, but that no one
lad been selected yet to take his place.
Mr.. Williams was for many years
station agent of the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad at Capon Road, but was re-
n
ired by the company long ago on ac-
count of his age. He was succeeded
IS agent there by Jesse Slime.
The injured man was born and rear
ID in the vicinity of Shenandoah juno
ion, w. Va, and most of his life has
been spent in the service of the rail-
Dad company. He married Miss Mar
.ha Pifer.
Surviving ere his widow, Mrs. Mar
-ha Pifer Williams, two sons, Walter
and Jacob, Capon Road, and one daugh-
ter, Mrs. Moses Walton, of Hamilton,
Canada.
The Williams home-place is known
as "Vesper Hall, :" large brick man
sion naQr tho Canon Rood citation