This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: JohnWOBrien Surnames: O'BRIEN, OBRIEN Classification: death Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.missouri.counties.jackson/6813/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Warning: the description of the death may be too graphic for some readers. ******************************************************************************** "The Kansas City Star" (Missouri) Tuesday, January 29, 1884 GROUND TO DEATH. A Horrible Depot Accident John J. O'BRIEN, connected with the Fairbanks Scale company, met a terrible death last night under the wheels of the Burlington & Missouri outgoing passenger train. He was attempting to board the train as it was in motion and slipping, fell under the wheels. No one saw the accident. The occurrence occupied but a few seconds and death struck him down before he could utter a cry for help. As the train kept pulling out, Ed TELLEN, the Chicago & Alton train master, noticed that the cars jolted on some obstruction on the track. Jumping on the platform he rang the bell and stopped the train. The flash of lanterns revealed the obstruction to be the mangled remains of O'BRIEN. When hauled from under the wheels he was dead. His head was covered with blood and grease; his left leg was mashed to a pulp at the ankle and held together merely by rags and loose flesh. The left hand was minced meat and the writs and forearm bared to the bones and the cords and muscles twisted, torn and twined around the bleeding shreds. The arm itself was mashed at the elbow and broken in three distinct places. Across his abdomen as a wound, commencing at the right hip and extending to the left, a wound from which the bowels gushed as the railroad men tried to draw the body from under the wheels. A package of letters dropped out, which Officer NICHOLL took charge of, and which he would not allow any reporter to handle. The letters will be produced at the coroner's inquest to-day at Walden's. O'BRIEN was a stranger here. He is said to hail from Cincinnati. ====================================================== (I have no connection with this family but I'd appreciate knowing if you found this posting helpful.) johnobrien@kc.rr.com ====================================================== neirbo10 Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.