Sidener - Ewing
Source: Crawfordsville Review, 16 March 1889
There were only a few
witnesses but they saw a horrible sight in the death of Ewing Sidener Wednesday
morning. The O. L. & W. west bound passenger train was leaving the city,
and at the crossing of Water street Mr. Sidener crossed the track just in front
of the engine, skipping so close to the train that the few people who were
watching the train noticed him, knowing that he was in danger of being struck
by the passing cars. As soon as the first trucks of the mail car, which was the
first after the engine, had passed, he, while stooping down, either fell or
threw himself under the car. His head falling across tho opposite rail was
severed from his body, his left leg was crushed and his right arm cut off. The
train was immediately stopped and the remains picked up. No one seemed to know who
the unfortunate man was. The news of the accident soon spread and a large crowd
gathered, through curiosity, to see the remains, when Will Sidener said,
"my God, that is my father!" Several in the crowd then recognized the
man as Ewing Sidener, better known as "Shorty." The remains were
taken charge of by the Coroner and removed to the undertaking establishment of
Loffland & Scott where they were viewed by a large number of people, It was
a sickening sight, the head literally ground from the shoulders, mashed in on
the left side to a mass of pulp, almost unrecognizable. The deceased has been
suffering mentally for some time and has suffered from fits of vertigo. He has
been sick and his relatives, who are many in the city, have worked to restore
his health and force of mind. It may have been suicide, but no sane man would
have thrown himself under the wheels of that train to meet such a horrible
death. "Shorty" Sidener was popular and well known throughout the
county He was Sheriff from 1869 to 1873 and filled his office with success. He
carried an insurance of $1,000 on his life. This sad death is mourned by
everyone in the city. He leaves a wife and two children who have the sympathy
of everyone in the city in this, their sad bereavement. – Kim H