John Bell Jr. Crushed to Death-1872

BELL

Posted By: cheryl moonen (email)
Date: 5/11/2018 at 10:24:14

Dubuque Daily Times, Thursday, Jul 11, 1872, Dubuque, IA, Page: 1

John Bell Jr. Crushed to Death

About 2 o’clock Wednesday afternoon, John Bell, Jr., 20 years of age was crushed to death on the. C. D. & M. Railroad near Glab’s Brewery, at the foot of 9th Street. The exact circumstances of attending his death are not clearly defined, but in the opinion of those nearest the deceased at the moment of the casualty, the circumstances are about as follows:

The train men had been making what is known as a “flying switch,” that is, disengaging part of the train by pushing the rear cars off and then forward away from them, a very frequent maneuver of trainmen, but one said to be attended by extra risk. In this case, however, the train was moving forward, as our reporter understood it, and Bell was standing on the bumper between the two cars - one foot on one bumper and one on the other; and while thus standing he attempted to push in the coupling pin with his foot, but failed for some reason and the cars parted and young Bell fell forward between the cars, and was by some means crushed through the vitals. He was seen to rise up and then fall forward again, but when he was reached life was extinct. One or two that were nearby said that the wheels ran over him, but as he was not cut in anyway nor the skin on his body broken this theory of death seems very improbable. The fact that his left arm was broken in two places, and that a small puncture as though made by the head of a bolt, as made on his person, goes to indicate that he was either crushed by the irons on the bottom of the bumpers. The deceased was picked up and carried to his late home at the corner of Iowa and Ninth Streets, and the body prepared for burial and packed in ice.

The deceased was the son of our respected fellow townsman, John Bell, dry goods merchant. In the manner of his death there was nothing, we understand, that implies blame on the part of the company, and no post mortem examination will therefore be had. Poor John was very active, but every incautious boy, that in this last act of his life it is though he did not use proper care. Among his associates, deceased was one of the most lively and cheerful spirits and generous to a fault, and by all who knew him he will be mourned.
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Dubuque Daily Times, Saturday, Jul 13, 1872, Dubuque, IA, Page: 2

The burial of the late John Bell took place yesterday forenoon, and a large number followed the remains to the grave in Linwood.