RUSK, Edgar - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

Hillsboro, Sept 19 -- Edgar Rusk, a prominent farmer residing 3 miles east of here, was horribly crushed this morning and was killed instantly by a traction engine and clove rhuller which was his own outfit. He had gone to the barnyard early, where he fired up his engine preparatory to getting ready to hull clover seed. Just how he came to his death is not known as no other companion was with him except his 5-year-old son Ralph. As soon as the little fellow realized in some vague way that something was wrong with his father, he ran screaming to his mother. When Mrs. Rusk realized what dreadful news her son was telling her she rushed to the scene. She was horrified to see her husband was crushed between the guide wheel on the engine and the clover huller and apparently dead. After she reached his side he gave a couple of gasps and died. Telephone messages were sent to Hillsboro where many secured automobiles and went to the scene, but nothing could be done for the unfortunate man. Dr. IN Hamilton of Waynetown was hastily summoned but he, of course could do nothing. He said the victim's neck was broken the jugular vein was severed and his head and face horribly mangled. The particulars of how the accident occurred will never be known. One solution might be that after firing up the engine, the water tank had to be filled and the engine was uncoupled from the huller and he had from appearances purposed to run the engine forward and fill the boiler and then back up and couple to the huller again, but by mistake or by losing control of his engine it had run back instead of forward and caught his head against the front of the huller and had crushed his head so horribly that it could not have been recognized. He was so tightly bound fast that a team had to be hitched to the engine and drawn away before he could be released. He was the eldest son of Dennis Rusk and was about 45 years of age. He leaves a wife and six children. Mr. Rusk was a prosperous farmer and had been Cain Twp's assessor the past 2 years. He has been running a thresher the past 3 years. He was a member of the UB Church and funeral services will probably occur Wednesday.

Crawfordsville, Ind., Sept. 19 --Edgar Rusk, 45 years old, a prominent farmer residing near Hillsboro, was instantly killed today, being crushed by a traction engine. The accident occurred this morning when Rusk went to the barn to fire the engine. Just how it happened is unknown, there being no eye witnesses. Rusk's 5-year-old son accompanied him, and the first known of the accident was when he came screaming to the persons in the house that something had hurt his father. Mrs. Rusk ran to the scene and found her husband badly crushed about the head and shoulders. It is supposed that Rusk fell between the guide wheel, and clover huller, while backing the engine. His neck was broken, the jugular vein severed and the head crushed.