Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 59, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 March 1898 — Killed By The Cars. [ARTICLE]

Killed By The Cars.

An Aged Woman Run Down At Two Saturday AfternoonMrs. Mary Norris, an aged widow, was struck by the 1:55 south bound train Saturday afternopn, and instantly killed. The accident occurred near the rear of Paxton’s lumber office, and about 500 feet west of the depot. Mrs. Norris had been visiting Mrs. Burley, south of the railroad, and was carrying home a basket of shelled corn, for her phickens. Some boys who saw the accident, from near the beer storage, thought that she had got clear of the rails and was struck by the cylinder head. Two empty box cars stood on the side track there, and she was struck near the west end of the two cars'and thrown clear to the east end, and striking the box cars on the way Her right side was all crushed, the right leg entirely cut off, below the knee, and the other nearly so. She was practically killed instantly, although Mrs. E. A. Aldrich, who soon reached her says she moved one hand a little. Dr. Berkley examined her injuries and thinks the blow on the side, being so near the heart, was instantly fatal. She was carried to her own house, north east of the depot. Her age was about 70 years. She was the mother of James Norris, the section foreman. The train men appear to have seen her too late to slacken speed any faster than they were already doing, preparatory to stopping at the depot, but the engineer whistled sharply to warn her. The boys who saw the occurence appear to think that when she saw the approaching locomotive she was paralyzed with fear and could not move. Coroner Wright viewed the body and will hold his inquest later, when the train men can be present. ’