Spruhan - Fred
FRED SPRUHAN
Source: Waveland Independent, Waveland, Montgomery County, Indiana, Friday, Nov 6, 1903
Fred Spruhan and Jo Butcher were both on the ill fated Purdue special and by mere chance escaped beging in the fatal first car. Spruhan, who was in the rear part of the train had the admission tickets for both, and as the train pulled into Indianapolis, he started back to find Butcher. He meanwhile, had been in the first car, talking with the Purdue coach. Thinking about his ticket at about the same time Spruhan did, he declined to stop and hear a story and started back through the train, meeting his friend at the door of the 4th car just as the shock came. Neither was thrown down. Spruhan immediately telegraphed his father, the news reaching here sometime before it did Crawfordsville. Had Butcher remained to hear the story, Spruhan would have reached the coach just at the crash and both would have certainly been injured and possibly killed. - kbz