Mrs. Cora D. Cotter (-1877)

COTTER

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 2/26/2012 at 00:02:56

From Nevada Representative September 5, 1877

KILLED.--Yesterday, Tuesday morning, as Mr. and Mrs. Cotter, of Minnesota, were getting off of the freight train, they were thrown between the cars and Mrs. Cotter killed. They were traveling with a Chinese lecturer and had taken an early freight train at Ames for this place, to make arrangements for lecture here. The train came to a halt for the passengers to get off, but only remained still about five to ten seconds, when it commenced backing very rapidly. Mr. Coter was just stepping from the cars to the platform when the jar came, throwing him to the ground. Mrs. Cotter who was just behind him, tried to catch her husband in his fall, and by so doing, together with the jar, fell between the cars in such a manner as to be instantly killed. She was not run over, but fell in such a way that her head was caught by the break and shoved along the track several feet, crushing her skill and mangling her face fearfully.

She was taken up to the Hutchins House where a coroner's inquest was held, and on the night express her husband started with her body to the home of her parents in Minnesota. The coroner's verdict, after thorough investigation, uses the following language:

"The said jurors upon their oaths do say that the said Cora D. Cotter came to her death at about 9 o'clock A. M., the carelessness of the employees of the C. & N. W. R'y, in backing up their train on which deceased was riding throwing her off the car. We also find that in the running of freight trains for the carrying of passengers on said railroad, sufficient car and caution are not observed to serve the safety of the passengers."

The jury in the above case were G. A. Kellogg, H. F. Murphey and R. R. Mitchell.