GIRTON, Crawford
Source: Greencastle Daily Banner and Times 1 July 1895 p 3
Crawford Gertin was in the city Saturday and on Sunday morning was killed by an east bound Big Four freight train when withing sight of his home east of the city. Gertin was last seen alive yesterday morning about two o’clock, when he left Thompson’s restaurant in North Greencastle, presumably on his way to his home which is about two miles east of the North Greencastle station on the Big Four. The remains were found by Gertin’s little son. The lad’s mother was uneasy about her husband and thought perhaps he had been detained in the city. Yesterday morning after daylight she sent her son on the search of his father and he found him quickly and in a way that will always leave an impression on his mind. Within sight of his home Gertin lay beside the track with two horrible wounds on his head from one of which his brains had oozed. An examination of the spot where Gertin was killed convinced Coroner Ed H Kleinbub that he had sat down on the end of a cross tie on the south side of the track, there becoming sick and vomiting and that the east bound train No 48, leaving here at 2:30 a.m. came along and struck him. There is no way of telling whether or not Gertin fell asleep. The right side of his head was mashed in showing where the engine had struck him and there was an ugly wound in his head where he had been pitched against a cross tie or some other hard substance. Gertin was a man of 38 or 40 years of age and leaves a widow and four children. He occasionally indulged in liquor when in the city and was probably intoxicated when he received his death wound. Coroner Kleinbub has charge of the case and will hold his inquest tomorrow. He will endeavor to see the freight engineer today when he passes through the city. The passenger trains were not running on Sunday morning on account of a wreck near Indianapolis. – kbz
Source: Greencastle Banner-Times 5 July 1895 p 3
Coroner Kleinbub’s official report on the killing of Crawford Gertin has been filed with the county clerk. It says Gertin came to his death by being struck by a Big Four train and attaches no blame upon anyone.
Source: Greencastle Star Press 6 July 1895 p 1
On last Sunday morning about daybreak, Crawford Girton’s little boy started to this city in search of his father, who came to Greencastle on Saturday and had failed to return to his home about two miles east of this city. As the boy walked along the Big Four RR track toward Greencastle he was surprised, shocked and horrified to find his father, cold in death, lying beside the track with one side of his head crushed and the brains oozing out and also another wound in the head. The particulars of his sudden taking off as told by the surrounding circumstances are that Girton left Thompson’s restaurant in this city and started to his home, between 1 and 2 o’clock Sunday morning and that he was possibly slightly under the influence of liquor. He was never seen alive after this time. The belief is that he walked along the track eastward and that when almost in sight of his home he sat down on the end of a railroad tie; probably he fell asleep and the east bound express which leaves here at 2:30 a.m., struck him, hurling him to instant death. Girton leaves a wife and four children widowed and fatherless; his age was about 40 years. Coroner Kleinbub held an inquest the first of the week and after hearing the evidence, returned a verdict in accordance with the above stated facts.
Buried Fillmore Cemetery, T. Crawford GIRTON 1853-1895