Chenango Union, Norwich, NY, October 26, 1876
Marriages
BROWN - HALE: At the residence of the bride's father, Hiram Hale, Esq., in this town [Norwich, Chenango Co. NY], Oct19th by Rev. L.S. Haynes, Mr. Milton W. Brown to Miss Eliza J. Hale, all of Norwich.
BRETT - WHITE: At the residence of the bride's father, Oct. 18th, by Rev. L.M.S. Haynes, Mr. James Brett to Miss Sophia White.
SALSMAN - HILL: August 23d, by Rev. L.M.S. Haynes, Mr. Jacob Salsman to Miss Dianze Hill.
BAILEY - ROCK: In this village [Norwich, Chenango Co. NY], Sept. 30th, by Rev. S. Scoville, Mr. J.E. Bailey, of Eagle, N.Y. [Wyoming Co.] to Miss Hattie Rock of Norwich.
PANGBURN - OGDEN: At the residence of the bride, Oct. 3d, by Rev. G.P. Smith, Mr. John Pangburn of Norwich [Chenango Co. NY] to Mrs. Betsey Ogden, of Bethany, Pa.
HILLS - HAZARD: In New Berlin [Chenango Co. NY], Oct. 18th, by Rev. Frank W. Townsend, Mr. Herman A. Hills, of Deansville [Livingston Co. NY], to Miss Ella M. Hazard, daughter of Dr. A.C. Hazard, of New Berlin.
HUNTLEY - WEAVER: In Pitcher [Chenango Co. NY], Oct. 17th, by Rev. D.W. Bigelow, Mr. Albertus M. Huntley of Pharsalia [Chenango Co. NY], to Miss Julia A. Weaver, of Pitcher.
MATTISON - IRELAND: In Bainbridge [Chenango Co. NY], Oct. 15th, by Rev. N.S. Reynolds, Mr. John Mattison, of Masonville [Delaware Co. NY], to Miss Annie E. Ireland, of Bainbridge.
BABCOCK - COBB: At the Congregational Parsonage in West Spring Creek, Warren Co., Pa., Oct. 12th by Rev. J.J. Bond, Mr. Myron A. Babcock of Edenburg, Clarion Co. Pa., to Mrs. Addie A. Cobb of Spring Creek.
Deaths
DRAKE: In Oxford [Chenango Co. NY], Oct. 21st, Laura [Drake] wife of Lyman Drake, aged 60 years.
STURGEON: In Greene [Chenango Co. NY], Oct. 11th, Mr. Robert Sturgeon, aged 63 years.
BABCOCK: In New Berlin [Chenango Co. NY], Oct. 15th, Mrs. Polly Babcock, aged 88 years.
HAIGHT: In McDonough [Chenango Co. NY] Oct. 15th, Leon D. [Haight] only son of Lyman and Alice M. Haight, aged 3 months.
WESCOTT: In Caton, Steuben Co. [NY], Oct. 17th, Mrs. Patience Wescott in the 84th year of her age, formerly of this town [Norwich, Chenango Co. NY]. Deceased was mother of James C Wescott of East Norwich.
SCOTT: In Galena, Ill., Oct. 15th, Mrs. Ann Eliza Scott, wife of D. Wilmot Scott in the 48th year of her age.
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A shocking accident occurred near the Midland depot at Earlville [Madison Co. NY], about noon on Thursday last, resulting in the death of a brakeman named Frank Brown. The facts are substantially as follows:
Brown, who had formerly been employed as brakeman on the Midland, but had been off during the summer, was again engaged, and this was his first trip, he having come down on the train the day previous. Train 31 (mixed) left this station for Oswego at eleven o'clock on Thursday morning, arriving at Earlville a few minutes past twelve. Brown, who was forward brakeman, cut off the engine and one car before reaching the station, they moving rapidly beyond the depot, while the balance of the train followed more slowly. When the rear portion approached the depot, an unusual dust was noticed under the cars, and as it passed the bystanders were horrified at seeing the body of a man, nearly naked, dragging by one leg under the second car from the front. The cars were stopped several rods north of the station, and the mangled body taken from the track and carried to the depot.
The last seen of Brown alive was when he went to uncouple the train. It is believed that while standing with one foot upon each bumper, after having drawn the pin, he was thrown from his position to the ground, he lying between the rails. The first car passed over him, but the end of the forward brake rod of the second car caught the top of one of his boot legs, and he was dragged a distance of one hundred and twenty-five rods or more. Ninety rods south of the depot the rail was covered with brains, hair and blood, showing where a car wheel had crushed the top of his head. and the substance was scattered along the track on his terrible ride.
A telegram was sent to Superintendent Lanpher, who at once proceeded with a special to Earlville, and brought the body to this place. Coroner Hand held an inquest at the depot on Thursday evening and Friday morning, where the evidence of Superintendent Lanpher was taken, as was also that of W.A. Page flagman, and H.B. Kinney and J.E. Young, of Earlville. Dr. Beecher made an examination of the body, and found the bones of the head and face badly fractured, the integuments torn, the top of the skull carried away, a large portion of the substance of the brain escaped, and the body otherwise much bruised and torn. The jury found that Brown came to his death "while in the performance of his duties as brakeman on train 31, NY&O Midland Railroad, causually, accidentally and of misfortune, and not otherwise." They further found that no blame attaches in any way to the employees of the railroad.
Deceased was a young man, about thirty years of age, unmarried, and of good habits. His parents reside on a farm about six miles from Fulton, Oswego County [NY] and are in good circumstances. In his pocketbook were found $52 in bills, a gold dollar, and some notes and other papers. His remains were forwarded to his friends for burial on Friday.
News Item
Last week we mentioned the arrest of an eloping couple near Vallonia Springs [Broome Co. NY], on the 12th inst., and their return to Afton [Chenango Co. NY] for examination on a charge of poisoning. A correspondent of the Bainbridge Republican gives the particulars of the affair, with its finale, from which it appears that one Johnston, a well-to-do farmer residing in Bennettsville [Chenango Co. NY], about five miles from Afton, married on the 17th of September last, a fascinating blonde of eighteen summers, who had already enjoyed the sweets of matrimony on two or three previous occasions. After seven days of peace and felicity, a serpent in the shape of one "Skunk" Walker, who had worn the "stripes" at the expense of the State, entered their Eden and induced the fair bride to fly with him to his castle.
Johnston was not pleased with the situation, and made complaint before an Afton official, charging Walker with having administered poison to the family, before absconding, by putting it on some pork, of which the Johnston family partook, and were quite sick in consequence. A warrant was given, and officer Houstan was at once dispatched after the fugitive.
The first several days search were unsuccessful, but on the 12th inst., on going to Walker's house, which is built of logs on the pinnacle of an airy and picturesque mountain about three miles from Vallonia Sprngs, they were found by the officer and at once arrested. As walker preferred to drive to Afton in his own conveyance, he was allowed to do so, when he brought around to the door his span of mules attached to an antediluvian vehicle. The party then began the descent of the narrow driveway. All went well until the foot of the hill was reached, when Walker concluded not to go any further, and jumped from his wagon and ran toward a sawmill nearby. Houstan called to him to stop, but without avail, he replied that no officer could arrest him, but he was quickly convinced that he had no boy to deal with, for just as he turned the corner of the mill, Houstan fired a shot from his revolver which brought him to terms for a short time. The officer then by gentle pressure upon the nape of his neck induced Walker to rejoin his companion in the carriage, who had been a silent observer of the proceedings, saying that if he made further attempt to escape, he would shoot to hit next time. The line of march was again taken up, but on coming to a fork in the road, Walker, being in advance took by mistake, of course, the wrong one, shouting back that he was not going to Afton that night, at the same time lashing his mules and putting them at the top of their speed. A chase began. The officer, although then on foot, was too much for the mules, and managed to overhaul them after a race of a fourth of a mile. Catching one of the mules by the bridle he succeeded in stopping them by pounding them in the head with the butt of his revolver. Turning them around in the road, headed for Afton, he placed his revolver at the head of Walker and said: "No more fooling, I mean business, and the first deviation from what I tell you I will shoot you in the back. Now we'll try it again." This rather put a quietus on the prisoner, and he was taken to Afton and lodged at the Sullivan House, where he awaited an examination, but the prosecution not appearing, he was discharged on the Saturday following, and drove out of town together with his Pauline and they are now undoubtedly enjoying happiness supreme in their "castle" on the mountain.
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