BOWEN, Jesse - Putnam

JESSE BOWEN, CLAUDE HIXON

Both instantly killed near Greencastle

In Early Dusk of Stormy Evening They Drove in Front of Passenger Train

Jesse Bowen, of North Salem, and Claude Hixon, of Bainbridge, were instantly killed by a Vandalia train at the Almeda crossing on the Stilesville road, 1 ½ miles east of Greencastle, late Thursday evening.

The men were in an automobile coming toward Greencastle from Fillmore. Darkness had come on early because of a storm and rain was falling. They had a few minutes before put up the top of their machine and then hurried on to their death.

Two theories were advanced as causes of the accident. One was that Bowen killed the engine to the machine while on the track and after he saw the approaching passenger train, and the other was that on account of the top of the machine being up, neither of the men saw the train nor the tracks until too late to avoid the collision.

The train was the west bound passenger due in Greencastle at 5:24. It was on time and so the accident occurred about 5:20. The [Greencastle] Banner says there were two witnesses near the scene of the accident, they being C.P. Broadstreet, who was almost immediately behind the car in his own machine and Will Jones, who was near, in a buggy. Mr. Broadstreet had been to his farm and he said as he neared the trees in front of the James Bridges farm he saw the men putting up their auto top because the rain storm had broken. They started west before Mr. Broadstreet reached them and drove directly onto the track in front of the passenger train, which as a rule makes at least 50 miles an hour at this point. Mr. Jones said when the automobile passed him, it was running at a rapid rate of speed, and the chances are that neither of the men saw the train, or it might have been that neither knew they were near a railroad track.

Neither of the bodies was thrown clear of the track and from the way they were mangled the entire train must have passed over them. Mr. Bowen's body was in such a condition that it would have been impossible for his most intimate friends to have recognized him, and the condition of Mr. Hixon's body was bad, but not as bad as that of his friend. Mr. Bowen's head was crushed and partly gone, his body was cut in twain near the waist, and the lower extremities were terribly mutilated. Mr. Hixon's head was cut from the body and he was otherwise badly mutilated.

The train, which was in charge of Engineer Fred Wood and Conductor Silas Litterall, was stopped and the bodies picked up and brought to Greencastle, where they were taken in charge by the A.B. Hanna undertaking establishment and prepared for burial.

Mr. Bowen was the son of James Bowen, of North Salem, and recently had clothing stores at Bainbridge and North Salem. He closed out the Bainbridge store and recently sold the North Salem store. He then became a salesman for an automobile company. He and a Miss Harshbarger, living near Roachdale, were married last Christmas. The body was sent to North Salem Thursday night and the funeral was Saturday.

Mr. Hixon was the manager of the True & True lumber yard at Bainbridge. He left a wife and small son. His funeral was Saturday morning from the home of his parents in Greencastle and the body taken to Roachdale for burial.

Thursday morning, Mr. Bowen drove to Bainbridge where he met Mr. Hixon who spoke of having business at Fillmore and Mr. Bowen offered to drive him down. This is how they happened on the fatal trip.

Mr. Hixon's body was identified through his name being on the coat he wore. Bowen's identity was not known until a message from Bainbridge told who had accompanied Mr. Hixon. Mr. Hixon was 24 years of age and Mr. Bowen, 21.

The automobile was a total wreck except the engine which was damaged but slightly. The top of the machine was taken off the locomotive when the train was stopped.

There is a clear view of the crossing in persons coming from the east and it is evident that neither of the men was looking for the track or the crossing. The people who saw the accident or were nearby heard the train whistle for the crossing and whistle again when the engineer saw the machine approaching the crossing without showing any sign of stopping.