Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 70, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 March 1914 — HARLEY BROWN DIEP SATURDAY EVENING [ARTICLE]

HARLEY BROWN DIEP SATURDAY EVENING

Relatives Do Not Care for Body and Instruct That It Be Buried at County Expense.

Harley Brown, who fell from passenger train No. 3, which passed through Rensselaer at jmidnight Friday night, died in the depot at this place Saturday evening at about 6:10. Relatives who were expected to arrive here Saturday afternoon did not come and it had been arranged to take Brown, who had shown some imp rovemen t during the day, to a hospital at Lafayette, but he expired a few minutes before the milk train reached here, not having regained consciousness. In company with William Smith and Harold Dodd, two other young men of Ladoga, Brown was stealing a ride from Chicago to their home town. They were riding on the tender of the engine and ‘when the train reached Pleasant Ridge Brown tried to change his position on the tender and fell off. His companions missed him when the train reached Monon. Brown laid out all night, was picked up by the local freight crew the next morning. His feet and left hand were frozen and he was almost dead. He was placed on a cot and given the care' of physicians and others and seemed to revive some during the day.. His feet and hands and body were chafed and a few minutes before he expired there seemed some hope of pulling him through. Apparently he had suffered internal injuries, however, and death came suddenly at the hour stated.

Brown’s parents are dead and his aunt at Ladoga was notified and sent word to turn him over te the county authorities for burial. Undertaker Wright had the body removed to his establishment a few moments after death occurred and is being held there until some disposition is made of it. The law provides that an unclaimed body shall be sent to the State Anatomical Board at the state university at Bloomington and this will probably be done, word having been received from there this Monday morning that the body will be welcomed for purposes of dissection. Ther6 is no reason why the railroad should pay the burial expense and none why the county should do so. It would cost $39 for the county to bury him. Thinking that something may develop, Undertaker Wright is holding the body for a short time, but will probably ship it to Bloomington Tuesday.

Brown had served an enlistment in the United States Marines, having been discharged in 1910. He had a number of letters in his coat pocket, mostly froYn girls and one of these mentioned a similar accident that he had had soon after Christmas. It spoke of him being in a wreck. Brown had been employed as a cooper in Chicago and among other letters had one from the firm that had engaged him, stating that money for his railroad fare was being sent in advance. The letter was written on March 4th and probably he had been at work for the past week or two and was on his way home. He had been clean shaven, had a hair cut and had apparently taken a bath just before embarking on his bumming trip. His body was clean, all except his hands. He was a fine built man of 28 years. He wore two suits of underwear, four shirts, three pairs of pants —