Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 January 1917 — LOWELL RESIDENT MET. HORRIBLE DEATH [ARTICLE]

LOWELL RESIDENT MET. HORRIBLE DEATH

Ground to Atoms Under Wheels of Fast* Monon Train While At- ' 4 tempting to Cross Trafck. Constantine Pat tee, of Lowell, Lad., was killed by Monon train No. 33 Thursday afternoon at about 1:27 o’clock. Mr. Pattee was on his way up town from his homeland was upon the Washington street crossing, which is about one hundred feet north of the Monon depot when he was struck by. the southbound train, which does not stop at .Lowell, and was possibly gofng at a speed of fifty miles an hour. • (Mr. Pattee was 75 years of age. He was quite deaf and had his cap pulled down over his ears and it is thougth that he did not realize that he was in any danger whatever. A few weeks ago he had- lost his wife and this sorrow had weighed very heavily upon him. By some it is thought, he felt that he could not bear the burden longer and that he purposely walked in front of the train. P. M. McNary, who has a coal and drayage office across from the Monon depot and who was sitting at a window in his office sy that he saw the accident, does not behave that Mr. Pattee realize*! that he was near the railroad tracks but was undoubtedly in a deep study, polssibly brooding over the* loss he had lately sustained. Mr. McNary says that the engineer gave a great many shrill blasts of his whistle but', the old gentleman seemed not to .have heard them. When the engine first struck him he was carried for a short distance upon the pilot. About the time the train reached the depot platform the body was dropped between the platform «and the wheels of the train, and before the train could be stopped the poor victim, wa^- ground into very small pieces. When the pieces were gathered up it was impossible to recognize that they were parts of a human body. The train was stopped in a very short distance considering the speed it was going and the train crew remained ih Lowell for over a half hour and made arrangements with the officers of the law to be present at the coroner’s inquest. The engineer in charge of this locomotive was Thomas Kline. He has had the misfortune of killing a number of people. Four of his victims have been people of Jasper county, namely, Mr. and Mrs. Bennett, who a number of years ago were run down and killed while attempting to cross the track on the highway just east of Rensselaer, and William Waahlbura and Noble Peacock, who were killed while loading cattle at the stock pens in/this city a few years ago. Constantine Pattee was a greatly respected resident of Lowell. He had lived there almost all his life. He owned a beautiful home and also a good farm near that town. He was one of the pioneers of that community. He and P. M. McNay’s father had operated a transfer line (between Crown Point and Lowell before the latter town had a railroad. Be had been a member of the town council, had" served as town marshall and also the county truant officer foretihe south half of Lake, county. At the time of his death his only daughter, a maiden lady 4f about thirty years of age, was keying (house for him. He has a ®on in Denver, Volo., who- is a very prominent attorney. He was a veteran of the civil war, having served in the 73rd Indiana Regiment. Besides a large .number of relatives and the old gentleman was greatly beloved by the whole community in which he had spent so many useful years.