Frank Pierce, June 1873

PIERCE

Posted By: J. Nicks (email)
Date: 3/10/2005 at 14:34:28

Dubuque Daily Times May 18,1873

ACCIDENT TO A BRAKEMAN. -- Frank Pierce received an injury at the Chicago, Dubuque and Minnesota yard on Friday, which will lay him up for a few days. He was breaking on a switching train, and while the cars were in motion he jumped off a box car on to a platform car just in time to prevent a collision with a wood train. The jump sprained his left foot so badly that he had to be taken home in an express wagon. He had just commenced to work for the company. It was a bad ending for a first day’s work.

Dubuque Daily Times June 7, 1873

ACCIDENT TO A BRAKEMAN. -- About a quarter to 6 o’clock last evening Frank Pierce, a brakeman on the C, D. &M. railroad, received serious injuries while coupling a locomotive tender to a sleeping car on the switch track at the depot. The 6 o’clock passenger train from the north was approaching and it was necessary to get the “sleeper” out of the way. In his hurry Pierce made a mismovement as the tender backed down to take the car, and was caught between the couplings injuring him in the bowels. He nearly fainted away with pain, and was taken to his home on the Plank road lying upon a lounge. An examination of his injuries was made by a physician, and it is thought he will recover.

Dubuque Daily Times June 8, 1873

PROBABLE FATAL ACCIDENT . -- A young man, Frank Pierce, son of Hiram Pierce, residing on Couler avenue, met with a fearful accident at the C. D. & M. depot last evening, about 6 o’clock. Frank was in the employ of the company as brakesman, and was in the act of coupling the “sleeper” of the Clinton train to the switching engine, when he got caught between the tender of the engine and the bumper of the sleeper. The force with which they came together actually crushed him. After the accident he was carried into the depot, and then placed in an express wagon and taken to his father’s residence. Poor Frank, fatality seemed to attend him. It is but a few weeks since we recorded a slight accident to him, which happened at the round house, and from which he but just recovered, and now so soon after a return to labor, this direst of all accidents has befallen him. He and his family have our sympathy.

Dubuque Daily Times June 8, 1873
DEATH OF FRANK PEARCE (sic – Pierce)

Young Frank Pearce, who was so terribly crushed between the C. D. & M. cars as reported in the TIMES yesterday morning, died at his father’s house from the injuries yesterday morning, at 2 o’colck. He was sensible up to 15 minutes before his death, and his sufferings were intense. Frank was an unusually promising young man, and won his way into the friendship and confidence of everyone he met by his manly conduct. Very many will mourn his loss, outside of his own immediate family. He would have attained his majority on the 21st of this month. By one of the railroad hands, of several, who went up to the family residence to take a last look of his familiar face, as it lay in smiling repose, we were told the following incident:
On the evening previous to the accident, while one of the railroad employees was lying on his bed courting sleep he was suddenly startled by a vision that foretold the fatal disaster. He saw Frank mutilated, so real, and tangible, that do what he would he could not drive the horrible scene out of his mind but spent the whole night in restless thought over it. In the morning so sure was he that what he saw was a premonition, that when Frank came down to work he told him of his vision and cautioned him to be very careful, for, said he, “Frank I am afraid some dreadful accident will befall you.”
We have every reason to believe this singular relation is true, and it presents one of those unaccountable occult circumstances that puzzle the scientific world.