Owen Delaplain (1906)

DELAPLAIN

Posted By: Mary Welty Hart
Date: 12/9/2009 at 20:09:24

The Winterset News
Winterset, Iowa
Friday, September 28, 1906
Page 1

OWEN DELAPLAINE - Killed By Cars

While returning home from Lucas, Wednesday last week, Owen Delaplaine, of East Peru, was run over by a Burlington train at Afton Junction and instantly killed.

Deleplaine got off a Burlington train at Afton Junction with the intention of taking a Great Western train for his home at East Peru. While waiting for the train he started down the side track and was struck by a passing freight and instantly killed. The body was horribly mangled, both arms being torn off, and the head mashed to a pulp. The remains of the unfortunate man were taken to East Peru for burial.
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Note: Transcribed as published, last name is "Delaplain".
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The Madison County Reporter
Winterset, Iowa
Thursday, September 27, 1906
Page 1, Column 3

Killed by the Cars

From the Peru Mail we get the following particulars of the killing of Owen Delaplain at the Afton Junction last week:

One of the most shocking deaths that has befallen our lot to record is that of Owen Delaplain which occurred at the Afton Junction Wednesday afternoon in a railroad accident. He had been down to Lucas visiting old friends and had returned on the "Q" as far as the Junction where he got off to wait for the C. G. W. train, to come to Peru.

Since the death of his wife a few months ago he has been making his home among his children living in the three counties, Madison, Story, and Polk. But this time he was visiting friends and got off the "Q" train at the Junction depot and had crossed over the "Q" track to the south side for a few moments, but in coming back into the center of the side track, walking with his head down seemingly oblivious to his surroundings, when he was struck by a rapidly moving freight train and was killed so instantly that he never knew what killed him, but was literally torn to pieces. Both arms were cut off and one leg dismembered, and the other leg badly crushed, and his face so badly mangled as not to be recognized as that of a human being.

One brakeman and the fireman saw him when too late to avert the accident. No one knew him but 'B' Pettet, formerly of Peru, who happened to be at the Junction depot when the train came in and saw the accident and told who he was.

The coroner at Creston was notified and L. M. Delaplain, his son, at this place. A freight train happened to be in Peru at the time and L. M. Delaplain, Wm. Barbary and John McKee went down to find things as stated above but with the coroner in charge. The coroner did not think it best to hold an inquest unless Loyal requested it, as all that could be made out of it was an unavoidable accident.

The body was shipped to Peru Thursday morning and the funeral occurred from the Christian church at 2 p. m. conducted by Rev. John Creger, assisted by Rev. Williams of the Methodist church.

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