"Its been a hard two days and I wish it was night so I could take a good rest
", said Uncle Wallace Mann to the railroad boys and baggage men as they sat
on the tracks at the Northwestern depot yesterday afternoon, waiting, for
the 4:20 o’clock train from Chicago. The speaker little thought that night
would come so soon and that before dark he would sink into eternal rest.
They talked a few minutes in front of the baggage room, then Mr. Mann took his mail truck,
which he had pushed down the platform almost every day for the past thirteen years,and started
to wheel it westward and then to the south platform. A west ‘bound' freight train was
thundering along the south track and an east bound freight was just coming in on the north track.
Expressman Mike Williams also took his truck and started after the old gentleman, yelling to
him to look out for the incoming freight. Mr. Mann reached the end of the platform
and wheeled his truck around as if to cross the track. The baggageman yelled again, but he
started across it may have been the rumble of the west bound train and the
glare of the sun on the snow prevented his hearing or seeing the east 'bound' freight,
or he may have thought he had time to cross. Whatever he thought no one will
ever know, for the next instant he was lying limp and dying thirty feet away. He had pushed the mail
truck almost across the track and was himself almost in the center of the track when the pilot
of the engine struck him, lifted him bodily and hurled him some thirty feet before
he struck the under plank of the platform. His right ankle lay across the track and the
engine and six cars passed over it, the rear truck of the south car stopping directly
on it. This gave him no pain however, for either the draw bar of the engine or the
plank of the platform had crushed in his skull above his right ear and stunned
him instantly. His leg was also broken and side crushed. He made no outcry, not
even a moan, and lay as if dead. Mike Williams, Will Murphy and Mr. Peck, of the
American Express Company, ran to him at once. Bob Modler brought the stretcher from
the baggage room. They tenderly picked up the mangled form and carried it to
the baggage room. Dr. Frank Anthony was called at once and was on hand in a
few minutes. He said the wounded man was dying and could live but an hour or
two at the most. It was 4:17 o’clock when Mr Mann was struck and at 6:04 o’clock his pulse ceased to beat. He died in the express room, with
the doctor and several of the railroad men present, breathing his last in the
place where he had been a familiar figure for so many years.
The railroad boys, in fact everybody, knew “Uncle” as Mr. Mann
was familiarly known, and there were many dim eyes and sad voices around the
depot and about town last evening, for it was a pathetic ending for a man
bent with three score and ten years, for one whose venerable gray hairs were
as white as the snow into which he was hurled by the remorseless engine.
The train that struck him was a special, made up mostly of cattle cars,
in charge of Conductor Hawley. Engineer Coleman with engine 497 was pulling it.
The engineer saw "Uncle", but supposed he would not attempt to cross the track.
When he saw the truck move forward he blew the whistle, but by that time he
was upon both truck and man.
Only the handles of the truck were struck swinging it out of
the the way of the train. Some of the mail was thrown onto the track and cut somewhat. The train was
stopped at once.
Many passengers and others saw the horrible sight and the news
spread rapidly. A large crowd soon collected. Friends of the family were sent to tell
the wife and daughter the sad news. At 6:45 o’clock an undertaker’s car from
Rock Falls removed the remains to the Rock Falls undertaking establishment.
All Rock Falls people were horrified to hear of the terrible accident
which befell Wa1lace Porter Mann. Mr. Mann had carried the mail to and from
the Rock Falls and Sterling post offices for the last thirteen years and was
in the performance of that duty while crossing the track when struck by
the engine.
The deceased was born at North Franklin, Delaware County N.Y. August 22, 1830. He came west March 4, 1854 and settled at Lyndon.
On Novernber 7, 1860, he was married to Miss Philinda Ritter and to them were born three children, two of whom are dead. Their daughter, Miss Grace Mann, has been a prominent teacher in Whiteside county for several years, and now lives at home, driving to and from her school at the Banes district south of the city. The family has resided permanenty in this county since 1854. They came to Rock Falls shortly before Mr. Mann secured the position of mail carrying, a position he has filled all these years with a most presistent determination to do his duty, having made an average of about five trips every 24 hours, and having never been late at a train in all his service.
The widowed mother and the daughter have the sympathy of the entire community in their sad bereavement..
The funeral will he conducted tomorrow afternoon at 2:30 o’clock at the family residence in Rock Falls, by Rev. Theo. Crowl. Saturday morning the body will be taken on the 8 o’clock Burlington train to Lyndon, for burial.
The following jury was impanelled and met in Justice Alexander’s office at 1 o’clock and examined a number of wittness' J. W. Alexander, S. T. Shirley, L. L. Enmons, Jr Louis Oltman, W. R. Kirk and N. F. ---
