Chrisman - Matthias (Tice)
Matthias -- Tice -- CHRISMAN
Source: Crawfordsville Daily News-Review Crawfordsville, Montgomery County, Indiana Jan 30, 1903
The time of the Darlington crossing accident was 1:15 o'clock Thursday afternoon. The special carrying the officials of the road on a tour of inspection was north bound when Tice Chrisman and Benjamen Gillen, the victims of the horrible accident, were enroute to Darlington to attend the funeral of Morton Mote. The view from the south of the Main Street Crossing is obstructed by a warehouse and a saw mill but it appears that the unfortunate men were cogninant of the fact that a train was coming. Frank and Cecil Jordon, brothers, were in a buggy just ahead of them and hearing the train whistle they slacked up to wait for it to pass. As they did so either Chrisman or Gillen called to them to drive up with the assurance that they had plenty of time to get across. They did so, Chrisman's buggy following. The front buggy cleared the crossing all right and the back wheels of the other were on the east rail of the track when the engine struck them. Another second andt ehy would have been safe but as it was they were burie dinto eternity. The Jordans and others witnessed the accident and state that the two men were thrown high into the air. Both were men weight 200 # or over but the impact was sufficient to throw them 50' or more. Chrisman's head was crushed like an egg shell and his neck broken. He was killed instantly but Gillen breathed for five minutes after they were sturck, although he never spoke. He had a deep scalp wound over his eye and another on top of his head. The skull was not fractured but his neck broken. Coroner Keegan was taken up on a switch engine to hold the inquest. From all he could learn the victims were themselves to blame for the accident. Every witness testified that the train whistled almost continually from the time it reached the grade a half mile from the crossing. The horse was not hurt and ran up town with the shaft dragging to him. The buggy was converted into kindling wood but the top and portions of the gear were still hanging to the pilot when the engineer stopped and backed up to the scene. The bodies of the unfortunat emen were taken tot he undertaking establishment at Darlington and prepared for burial before they were removed to the respective homes. The trainmen will be here tomorrow to be examined. kbz
Source: Crawfordsville Daily News-Review Crawfordsville, Montgomery County, Indiana Feb 2 1903
The funeral of Tice Chrisman was conducted at Darlington Sunday under the auspices of the Odd Fellows and was largely attended. Representatives from the lodge of the GAR were present from Crawfordsville, Thorntown and elsewhere. - kbz