Rucker, Reuben d. 1903

RUCKER, MCDANIEL, MCCROSKEY

Posted By: Janice Young (email)
Date: 1/17/2004 at 22:59:58

Reuben Rucker

The Newton Daily Herald, Monday, February 23, 1903

Page 1, Column 1

The day express train going west on the Rock Island Railway Saturday afternoon struck and instantly killed Reuben Rucker, an old man, who was walking on the track. The accident occurred near Rucker’s farm, between Monroe and Fairmount, and was on his way home when struck. He was deaf and did not hear the approaching train as soon as possible and the body of the dead man was picked up and taken to Fairmount. Mr. Ricker was about 60 years of age. He leaves a wife and four children.

Mr. Rucker bought the farm, which he occupied from county Treasurer Roberts’ father in 1869. At that time his wife objected to the purchase of the farm because of the railway running through it and because Mr. Rucker was deaf. She feared that Mr. Rucker might sometime be caught by the train. He had been warned possibly a thousand times during the years he lived there, but persisted in walking on the track.

Only a few weeks ago he came so near getting caught by a train behind him that some folks who were watching him turned away to shut out the horrible scene which seemed inevitable but he felt the jar and got off the track just in time to escape. But he ran chances just once too often.

The Newton Daily Herald, Tuesday, February 24, 1903

Page 1, Column 3 - Monroe

Reuben Rucker, an old and well-respected gentleman living on the Jack Porter farm, two miles northwest of Monroe, was killed Saturday afternoon by engine 315 on the 2:30 passenger train to Des Moines. Mr. Rucker had been totally deaf for years and it is a great wonder he has not been killed years ago as he has made a practice of coming to town on the railroad. He had been to Monroe and started to walk home by way of the railroad. Before leaving town he consulted his watch to see if the passenger train had gone through. The train was a half hour late and was running at the rate of nearly a mile a minute. When rounding a sharp curve about a mile from Monroe they struck him His head was badly crushed by the blow and his right let broken. He died before reaching Fairmount, the next station. He leaves a wife and five children: Reuben of Kansas; Frank of Vandalia, Iowa; Will of Monroe; Julia McDaniel of Newton; and Elizabeth McCroskey of Boulder, Colo. An inquest was held by the coroner and the remains taken home. The arrangements for the funeral have not been made yet, waiting to hear from his children who are absent. Mr. Rucker was about 72 years of age.