Whittaker - Charles
Source: Crawfordsville Weekly Journal, 11 January 1895
Charley Whittaker Meets a Tragic Death Sunday Night at Wesley. Monday morning Coroner Barcus was informed that his services were required at Wesley, so hunting up his clerk, C. M. Scott, who was presiding over a wedding breakfast at the Sherman House, he left at once for the scene. It appears Monday morning as a section gang on the Big Four arrived at the Wesley switch, seven miles west of Crawfordsville, that the men were horrified to find the body of a stranger lying alongside the track. The body was carried to the old Wesley station and the Coroner notified from Waynetown. Arrived at Wesley Dr. Barcus was unable to obtain a mite of evidence except that furnished by the dead body and the bare fact of its finding. The corpse was that of a man 6 feet in height and about 175 pounds weight, of fair complexion, brown drooping mustache, gray eyes, large head and very high forehead. His hands were calloused and the fore fingers of right hand showed evidence of former injury. He was exceedingly well dressed in a black suit and over coat, white shirt, lay down collar, four-in-hand tie and cuffs with square gold buttons.
There were no papers of any description on his body and his pocketbook, which contained a little change, gave no evidence of his identity. The only injury was a hole in the top of the head from which the brains oozed. There were no other marks even. It was supposed by the Coroner that he was a passenger on the west bound train last night and that as the scene of the accident was approached he attempted to pass from one car to another and from some cause slipped and fell off, his head striking some part of the swiftly moving car and killing him. His hat could nowhere be found and it was thought that it fell on the platform of the train. The body was that afternoon brought to Crawfordsville and taken to McClure's undertaking establishment where a new and startling turn was given to the case. Among the first to view the remains were Dan Callahan and Ol Gill. "Why, it looks like Charley Whittakey!" exclaimed Callahan, as he gazed at the dead man. "And it is Charley, too," he continued, as he lifted the hand of the corpse. "I was with him when he hurt that finger. We were working together on the Big Four and I dropped a tie on it, and have known it ever since." Ross Cohoon, the brother-in-law of the deceased, was hastily summoned, and at first could not believe that it was Charley, as Charley, he said, had left Monday to go south on the Monon, where he was employed as Bridgman. Upon seeing the body, however, he promptly identified it as that of Whittaker, and went at once to his home to break the news to the family.
The deceased was a young man of about thirty-five years of age, the son of Mrs. Minerva Whittaker, of south Green street. He was single and a quiet, industrious man. As to how he came to his death in the place he did, there are many "conjectures. Dan Callahan, who knew him well, advances one theory. Said he: "I think he must have boarded the Big Four train at the Junction, intending to jump off at Green street and change his Sunday clothes for his working clothes. When Green street was reached the train was going too fast so he had to stay on. At the Wesley hill speed slacked, of course, and he jumped off with fatal results. I know he used often to ride down to Green street and jump off that way, and I believe my theory is the correct one."
LATER.—About 4 o'clock the hat of the deceased was found on a manure pile near the old Darter elevator and brought to the undertaker. As there were no marks on the ground at Wesley of his having jumped from the cars the mystery is all the greater and the talk of foul play increased. It will never be known just how Charley Whittaker came to his death but no reasonable person doubts that it was an accident. Coroner Barcus said Tuesday: '"The story to the effect that the ground was not torn up at the scene of the accident is untrue. For many feet there were evidences of his body having rolled from the train and a tie on the siding showed where he had struck. That blow killed him. I examined the crew of the train that went west Sunday night and no one saw him. Charles Lloyd was conductor, and John Heller, engineer. That is easily explained, however, as he probably stood on the rear platform and leaped from it. I think Callahan's theory is the correct one." The incident of the hat of the deceased being found 150 yards from the Big Four track in Crawfordsville is explained. One of the Lindamood youngsters found it by the track Monday morning and carrying it on some distance finally threw it on a manure pile There it was found. There has been a great deal of talk of foul play. No reason, however, is ascribed. The garrulous contend that Whittaker was murdered in Crawfordsville and then hauled out to Wesley. The idea is too absurd to entertain. Charles Whittaker came to his death by jumping off a rapidly moving passenger train. - thanks so much to Kim H