Ewing, John H. 1870-1912

EWING, DUNDEE

Posted By: S. Ferrall - IAGenWeb volunteer
Date: 3/12/2003 at 05:35:12

John H. Ewing, the victim of the railroad accident here on June 17th, passed away at Postville Hospital on Monday forenoon at a little past ten o'clock, his death occurring within a few minutes of exactly two weeks from the time he met his mishap. He had been holding his own satisfactorily until last Friday when concussion of the brain set in and terminated fatally as above stated. He was terribly torn, badly mangled and bruised from head to foot, and the physical sufferings the poor fellow endured beggar description, and they are few who could have borne up under it as did he.

John H. Ewing was born in Post township, Allamakee Co., Iowa, April 12, 1870, and died in Postville, Iowa, July 1, 1912, from injuries received by being struck by a C.M. & St. P. passenger train at a grade crossing in this city two weeks previously. His age was 42 years, two months and 19 days. He was married in 1897 to Martha Viola Dundee, who with five children, his father and mother, five sisters and four brothers are left to mourn his loss. With the exception of one year spent in Oklahoma, Mr. Ewing has been a lifelong resident of this section, being a resident of Myron at the time of his recent misfortune. He was an honest, industrious man of good repute and was held in highest esteem by his neighbors and friends, all of whom sorrow that he is no more and sincerely sympathize with the wife and five children left without a provider or protector by his life's sad ending. The funeral was held from the Methodist church in this city at ten o'clock Wednesday morning, July 3rd, Rev. C.C. Casper officiating, a large gathering being present. Interment in the Evergreen cemetery.

~Postville Review 7/5/1912

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Added by the contributor 12/13/2016:

...from the Elkader Register & Argus, June 27, 1912, Postville News column, from the Postville Review:

About 10:30 Monday morning, just as the Milwaukee west-bound passenger, Train No. 3, had sounded its long shrill shriek of approach to town and was making its last rush toward the station like a demon mad, John Ewing and his eight year old son, living near Myron, started northward toward home from the Douglass drug store corner in a light spring wagon drawn by a fine farm team.

As Mr. Ewing and his son approached the crossing, the sound of the Way Freight pulling up the main line for a siding to let the passenger through, attracted their attention, but the lumber sheds on the east and box cars on the siding, coupled with the strong wind, prevented them from either seeing or hearing the incoming passenger till the team was practically on the main line track. A crash, a cloud of dust and the steed of steam had accomplished another dire disaster.

Citizens hurried to the horrid scene and this is what met their gaze: A poor, little helpless lad, maimed for life, lying on his face, his right arm cut off above the elbow by the car wheels. The little fellow was still conscious when picked up and his first anxious inquiry was "How bad is papa hurt?"

The father had been hurled into the steps of the cab by the impact and was carried half way to the station before his bruised, broken and bleeding boy dropped to the ground apparently an inanimate mass of blood and dirt. He was picked up and placed on a board stretcher and taken to Postville Hospital, as was the son.

Dr. Schmidt immediately called Dr. Everall, of Monona and Dr. Berry, of Clermont, to assist him, the auto speed limit was temporarily raised and in a few minutes time both surgeons arrived, making the ten mile runs here in almost incredible time.

The boy was first attended to, and aside from dressing the arm there was little else to do, his bruises being very slight, and he is now getting along nicely and is out of danger.

But the father was in awful condition, his nose broken and split, his left leg broken between the knee and hip, a terrible ten-inch tear beginning at the rectum and passing up through the crotch and along the lower part of the abdomen almost exposing the bowels, the bladder is badly injured and from head to foot he is fearfully battered and bruised, and all these injuries were filled with sand, cinders and dirt.

His condition is still serous, but the indications are favorable and he may perhaps weather the storm, but never will he be the strong and robust man he was before.

One of the horses was killed outright while its mate was little, if any injured. One rear wheel demolished was practically all the damage to the buggy. The crossing where the accident occurred is one of the worst and most dangerous imaginable to approach in driving out from town. To the east a view of the track is absolutely blocked by the lumber sheds and to the west by coal sheds, and as there are usually cars on both the stockyards and elevator sidings, it is practically impossible to get a view of the main line track in either direction until one is practically upon it.

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... from the same paper & column:

Eleven of the farmer neighbors of John Ewing, who was so badly hurt in the railroad accident Monday, hitched their teams to their corn plows Wednesday morning and drove up to the Stone House vicinity and plowed Mr. Ewing's thirty-acre field of corn in fine shape. That was might nice of the boys; it was a good example of practical Christianity, or brotherly love, as you refer, both meaning the same.