Jasper County Democrat, Volume 16, Number 101, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 March 1914 — BLIND BAGGAGE VICTIM. [ARTICLE]

BLIND BAGGAGE VICTIM.

Voting Man From Ladoga Dies From Injuries Received Friday Night. Harley Brown, aged 28 years, a fine specimen of physical manhood, was picked up from beside the Mo-, non railroad tracks Saturday .morning. by the north bound local freight crew, some fifty yards west of Pleasant;* Ridge station, and brought to this city, where he was attended in the smoking room at the depot by the Monon’s physician, Dr. I. M. Washburn. There were no. bruises on the man’s body to speak of except on his head, but it is supposed he was injured internally in addition to this, as he nevfer regained consciousness, and died shortly after six o’clock Saturday night.

It seems that Brown, who was a cooper by trade, was riding on the tender or the blind baggage of the south-bound midnight passenger train Friday night with two other Ladoga young men, William Smith and Harold Todd, who were likewise beating their way from Chicago back home, when he fell off near Pleasant Ridge and laid beside the track the rest of the night. He was not missed by his com- ' panions until they reached Monon, and when picked up about 8:00 next morning his feet and leit hand were frozen From letters in his pocket it was learned that he .was from Ladoga, and communication was had with an aunt there —-his own parents being ■ end -and she directed that the bo>.. be turned over to the county for burial, but the law provides for turning over unclaimed bodies to state institutions for dissecting, and the State University sent notice that it

would like to have the body, which had been removed to Wright’s undertaking rooms for Im rial, ami where it still is at this writing. | Some friends at Ladoga, it was i said yesterday, would contribute a ■ few dollars to save the body from the dissecting table, and an effort I was being made here to raise the balance, in which event burial will j be made here. When found the man had $4,50 in cash and was dressed for bumming his way. having on four shirts, . two suits of underwear, four pairs lof socks and three pairs of pants. ' He was clean and very well dressed, ilt was thought he might recover, J and arrangements had been made to send him to the hospital at Lafayette, on the milk train, but h« died a short time before the ’ n <amp in. without having regained const-ion - ' ness, although his respiration had become better and it was considero J there was a chance of his living, j Only last spring another ‘blind baggage” victim was picked up jr •> : east of Pleasant Ridge, but he was i dead when found. He proved to be I a rover by the name of Clem Ensly, , and relatives from Ft. Wayne came here and claimed the body. Both of these unfortunate young men might have became useful members of society had they chosen a different niode of life, no doubt, and their tragic deaths should J ’be a warning to all who may be similarly inclined.