The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1924-12-04
gc--ng Woodwork Farmer Struck by Train at
lruesdell Crossing While Driving West
on Geneva Road.
cow CATCHER BENT BY IMPACT
Devlin, Who Was Alone, Was Hurled to One Side of
Train and His Car to the Other, as St.
Paul Train Speeded South

"We've struck somebody" cried the
fireman, Nicholas King, of the train,
to Engineer John Larner, just as they
passed the crossing. The engineer had
not seen the encounter. The train
was brought to sHop and the train
men fastened to find the victim.
Coroner the First There.
A hundred yards from the crossing,
the body of a young man was found.
The skull was crushed, and the left
arm and right Lee broken in several
places. The sheriff's Office and police
department were at once notified.
Judge Slater, acting coroner, happened
to be on the Geneva road going east
homeward bound with his family
when he saw the passenger train stop.
He stopped too, and was among the
group that found the body.
Secretary Meissner, Officers Buch-
mann, McGivern and Long answered
the call with the police ambulance,
and as the first call that came in re-
ported serious accident it was fear
ed that more than one had been in
jured, so Sergeant Max Kramer at the
police desk notified Hansen's to send
their safety ambulance also. From
the sheriff's office, Undersheriff Joseph
Knipfer and Deputies Nicholas Otto
and Albert Bonn answered the call.
Front of Train Damaged.
The body was found on the east
side, that is to the left of the train,
in between the two railway tracks,
about 100 or 1876 yards south of the
crossing. On the right side of the
train, that is the west side of the
tracks, 175 feet from the crossing,
was the demolished car. What had
been a touring car looked like the
kind of box in garage in which
bolts are kept. 1t did not look as if it
could ever been used as vehicle.
A curious feature of the accident
was shown by the fact that the cow
catcher of the train had been pinned
down by the impast so that part of
st dragged the ground and the ties.
Had not the fireman been aware of
the fact that someone in an automo-
bile had been struck another accident
might have followed due to the CON-
dition of the front Of the train.
Meanwhile the body was lifted into
the ambulance and taken to Hansen's
funeral home; none of the inquiring
and awed group of men were able to
identify the victim. The search of his
clothes at the morgue revealed a
blurred and broken bit of pasteboard
on which the words ED. Devlin,
Woodwork" were just visible. This
card was turned over to the police.
In the meantime, Sergeant Kramer
had been trying to learn the owner
of the car through the Oakland
garage. The police had the license
number of the car, but it was over
$4,000 and the records from Madison
filed in the Office did not run as high
as that. The Oakland statesmen were
at loss as their list showed many
buyers and they were unfamiliar with
the license number given.
Father Identifies Son.
At this point the pasteboard was
found The police sergeant connected
with the Devlin home at Woodwork.
Lawrence Devlin, the father of the
victim, answered the telephone. In
response to inquiry, he said that he
had a son Edward Devlin and the lat
ter had an Oakland car. He was not
sure of the license humber but be-
lieved the first two numbers were 1922"
"Do not say anything to your wife,"
said the sergeant, "for there is a
chance that there may be some mis-
take, but there is some one at Han
sens who was struck by train. We
are not sure who it is, but it may
be your son."
1t was Mr.. Devlin who positively
identified the body as that of his
son Edward.
Edward Devlin was the only child
of Mr.. and Mrs. Lawrence Devlin. He
was born August ID, 1900. He lived
all his life in Woodwork, and was
one of the most popular and respected
young men of the county. He was
unmarried, and has lived at home,
sharing the work of the Devlin farm
with his father.
Judge Slater as acting coroner, met
with jury at the morgue this morn
ing to view the remains. The body
has been taken to Crossin's funeral
establishment. The inquest will be
held Tuesday afternoon at two o'clock
at the municipal court.