A new article has been added at Newspaper Abstracts > United States > California > Sacramento http://www.newspaperabstracts.com/index.php?action=displaycat&catid=587 Direct link to article: http://www.newspaperabstracts.com/link.php?id=36009 Submitted by: California Contributors Article Title: The Evening Bee Article Date: July 16 1906 Article Description: Misc. Northern California News Items Article Text: The Evening Bee Sacramento, Cal. Monday, July 16, 1906 Page 6 BRAVE OFFICER MENTAL WRECK "Jack" Colford Placed Under Restraint Because Of Wild Actions And Physicians Are In Charge MARYSVILLE (Yuba Co.), July 16 - The Sad spectacle of an officer of the law being held as prisoner and patient because of dissipated habits, which have all but wrecked his mind, is presented by John COLFORD, who up to a week ago held the position of special watchman in the Chinatown district and also wore the star of a Deputy Sheriff. COLFORD, who is but 35 years of age, had an enviable record up to two years ago, when he contracted the liquor habit. Because of that misfortune the City Council was forced to remove him from the regular police force and he has been going from bad to worse ever since until now his staunchest friends are forced to admit that mental aberration due to his dissipation has set in. For a time last week he was a patient at the County Hospital, but on account of repairs being made to certain Wards in that institution he is now occupying quarters at the County Jail. His condition is little better than it was a week ago, despite medical aid. Eighteen years ago COLFORD proved himself a hero one night on the occasion of a disastrous conflagration in the business district. He was assistant engineer at the water works plant, which supplied the only water available for fire fighting purposes. The flames were rapidly devouring the property on all sides of the engine room where he was firing the furnaces and finally the heat became so intense that it threatened to drive everyone from the plant. When everyone else deserted, COLFORD remained at his post and kept up steam that forced the water into the mains even after the water works building was destroyed and the reservoir tanks were dislodged. For his bravery he was presented by the citizens with a handsome watch and chain. Desertion Charged MARYSVILLE (Yuba Co.), July 16 - In the divorce case of Lillian May MERRILL vs. Elbridge Clarke MERRILL, in the absence of the regular return of service of the papers upon the defendant, the Court has ordered the publication of the summons in a newspaper. The plaintiff was formerly Miss Lillian BRYDEN, of Honcut. The defendant is a son of the late D.P. MERRILL, who for years was the express and railroad companies' agent at that place. Desertion and failure to provide are alleged in the complaint. Funeral of Mrs. John D. Stephens WOODLAND (Yolo Co.), July 16 - The funeral of the late Mrs. John D. STEPHENS was held at the home of Joseph CRAIG in this city Sunday afternoon. Rev. D.E. HOLT, rector of the Episcopal Church, officiated. Mrs. STEPHENS was the widow of the late John D. STEPHENS, the founder of the Bank of Woodland. For many years she made her home in Missouri, where she died July 9th, at the age of 86 years. Only one child - Mrs. Joseph CRAIG of this city - survives her. The body arrived in this city from Missouri Saturday evening. MESSAGE TO HIS WIFE AND CHILD Engineer Staiger Thought Of Loved Ones As He Bravely Faced Death - Greater Catastrophe Averted REDDING (Shasta Co.), July 16 - Down thirteen miles of the steepest grade on the Southern Pacific, a north-bound freight train ran away Saturday afternoon, as mentioned in The Saturday Bee in a dispatch from Hornbrook, and fourteen of the seventeen cars in the train, together with the locomotive, jumped the rails at the south switch of the siding at Clawson, which is thirteen miles from Siskiyou, at the top of the hill. The killed are CLARENCE LOCKERMAN, brakeman, whose home is at Paradise, near Durham, Butte County, and ROBERT STAIGER, engineer formerly of Sacramento, whose death occurred at Roseburg, Oregon, as he was being taken to the Portland Railroad Hospital. His mother resides at 416 M Street, Sacramento, in which city also reside his brothers J.E. an G.M. STAIGER. The injured are Roy GILBERT, fireman, knee hurt; Sam WILEY, brakeman, arm broken and rib fractured; two tramps, riding underneath, clothing burned off; injuries slight. Conductor HILTY, who was in the caboose, was not hurt at all. At Siskiyou, on top of the hill, the rear brakeman should have tested the air. This was not done, and when the train commenced to descend the grade Engineer STAIGER discovered that the air brakes would not work. He whistled for the hand brakes, but before they could be attended to by the brakemen, the train was beyond all control, and it flew down the steep grade with the speed of a tornado. The train left Siskiyou at 12:05 p.m. The watches of Engineer STAIGER and Brakeman LOCKERMAN stopped at 12:16 and 12:13 respectively, indicating that the thirteen miles were covered in eleven or eight minutes. The engineer's watch was probably the more carefully set and eleven minutes can be considered the exact time consumed in the runaway. That the string of cars should stick to the rails that long, winding around the sharp curves and thundering down the steep grade, is of itself a marvel. The crash came when the locomotive struck the switch at CLAWSON, four miles south of Ashland. The locomotive, No. 2630, was making its first trip after the rear-end collision at Kennett on Thursday a week ago. Engineer STAIGER stayed at the throttle. He had reversed his engine and put on a full head of steam, but it did no good. The locomotive turned turtle and the smokestack was driven in the ground. Engineer STAIGER was buried in the wreck. His leg was broken at the ankle, but the most severe injuries were caused by escaping steam and hot oil burning him. The loaded freight cars made an indescribable pile of wreckage. Only three of the seventeen were left on the rails. They were the caboose and the last two cars. Brakeman Clarence LOCKERMAN was extricated from the wreckage, but he lived only a few minutes. Fireman Roy GILBERT, who had bravely clambored from his cab to the top of the train and was trying to set up the hand brakes, was thrown clear of the wreckage and escaped with a trifling bruise on one knee. Sam WILEY, second brakeman, escaped less fortunately. An arm was broken and a rib fractured. He will recover. Engineer Robert STAIGER, in spite of his pain and suffering, retained consciousness to the very last. He asked for a priest and one came from Ashland and administered the last sacraments, so soothing to the dying. He left a parting message for his wife and little child in Dunsmuir. He said he had done his duty and he faced death as bravely as a soldier on the field of battle. He was started on a special train to Portland for treatment in the Railroad Hospital, but death came at Roseburg. Two tramps, riding beneath, were virtually stripped of their clothing. They were cared for by the people of Ashland who provided them with new suits, gave medical attention to their trifling wounds and took up a collection for their benefit. No. 15, south-bound overland express, had orders to meet the north-bound freight at Clawson. The express was fifteen minutes late. Had it been on time it would have come desperately near being run into by the runaway freight train. The switch that virtually caused the derailment of the runaway would alone have prevented the awful collision. A new track was laid around the wreck. This was completed by 3:30 p.m., and the two sections of No. 15 the express went on their way and nine hours behind time. They picked up two hours lost time before reaching Delta, where they were delayed four hours more by another wreck. A carload of oranges in a north-bound freight was derailed in Tunnel No. 4. This wreck occurred early Sunday morning. It blocked the track for five or six hours. ENDS HIS LIFE IN JAIL CELL John H. Hyde, Aged Laborer, Arrested For Drunkenness, Hangs Himself, Strangling Slowly To Death OROVILLE (Butte Co.), July 16 - The body of a man was found hanging in one of the cells in the city prison Sunday morning about 11 o'clock by Officer TOLAND. Life had been extinct about thirty minutes. The body was that of John H. HYDE, a man of about 60 years age and an employe in the gravel pit of the Northern Electric Company, a short distance below this city. He was confined in the cell awaiting trial on charges of drunkenness and disturbing the peace. The man took a most horrible means of ending his life, suffering death by slow strangulation. He took a pair of suspenders belonging to a fellow prisoner and fastened them to a nail high upon the wall of the cell. He then stood on the bed, inserted his chin into the loop of the suspenders and hung there until he was strangled. When found his feet were still resting on the bed, his body hanging about six inches above it, half suspended in the air by the loop in the suspenders. Little of anything was known of the man here, but his employers speak in the highest terms of him as a laborer. He had lived here about six weeks. On the pay roll of the Northern Electric he went under the name of F. HIDE and not John H. HYDE, the name he gave when arrested. HYDE had been in jail twice before, both times for drunkenness. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ CA-Old-News ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ NewspaperAbstracts.com - Finding our ancestors in the news! TM http://www.NewspaperAbstracts.com