Shocking Accident on Lyon Brook Bridge
Chenango Union, Norwich, NY, January 3, 1878
Frank Church, a resident of this village [Norwich, Chenango Co. NY] and brother of District Attorney Church, met his death by a shocking accident at Lyon Brook Bridge on Tuesday evening. On Tuesday morning he went down to the bridge on the Midland train in company with James Hancock, who is employed by the Midland Company to watch the bridge and keep it in order. The two spent the day with Jerry Dye at the house of Daniel Fisher, a short distance from the bridge up the brook and took supper there. They then concluded that they would return to Norwich [Chenango Co. NY] and thought they would try to jump aboard the evening train, which generally slacks speed at the bridge. For this purpose, they stationed themselves some four or five rods south of the bridge and when the train approached, Church, who stood a short distance nearer the bridge than the others caught hold of the handrail of the forward passenger car, while Dye caught at the rear end of the last car. Dye failed in his attempt to get aboard and was whirled down the embankment some thirty feet, sustaining severe bruises. When he got up, the train had crossed the bridge, and he thinking the others had been successful in getting aboard, went down the hill to the brook, and stayed overnight at the house of Mr. Lindsey, to whom he related the adventure. Hancock got safely on the train and not finding his companions, supposed that they failed to get aboard. Wednesday morning, he returned to his duties at the bridge, and the first object that attracted his attention was the dead body of Church, lying at the foot of the south abutment to the bridge, having evidently fallen through the bridge a distance of forty feet or more. The head and face were shockingly mutilated, one arm was broken in several places, and the appearances indicated that he must have fallen head foremost. He was doubtless instantly killed. The body was removed to a place of safety and word sent at once to Norwich, when Mr. Cary, the undertaker, and others, went down to the scene of the accident and brought the body to Norwich.
There are two theories of the accident. One, that failing to get a foothold when he clenched the rail, he clung fast as long as his strength permitted, and then dropped falling through the bridge. The other, and a very plausible one, is that he failed at the first attempt and then ran after the train hoping to catch hold of the rear car, and in his excitement forgot all about the bridge until he plunged headlong down the abyss.
Deceased was a son of the late William H. Church and was not yet twenty-one years of age. He leaves a wife and one small child, an aged mother and several brothers and sisters to mourn his untimely death. The accident, following so closely upon the sudden death of Mr. John S. Randall, has caused a feeling of awe to pervade the whole community.
Chenango Semi-Weekly Telegraph, Norwich, NY, January 5, 1878
One of the most sad and distressing accidents that has happened in this vicinity for many years occurred at the Lyon Brook Bridge, about four miles below this village [Norwich] on Tuesday evening last, by which Frank Church lost his life.
The particulars of this shocking affair are substantially as follows: Jerry Dye, a friend of young Church, had received an invitation to spend New Years at Daniel Fisher's near the Lyon Brook, and meeting Church in the village he informed him where he was going that night and invited him to come down the next morning with James Hancock, the bridge watchman at Lyon Brook, which he did, and together Dye and Church spent the day in visiting at Daniel and Charles Fisher's and other places. In the evening, they arranged to come to Norwich on the Midland train, which does not stop at the bridge, but slacks up sufficiently for an expert railroad man to get aboard. As the train came along, Dye caught at the rear car but not getting a firm hold, was thrown over the bank and was considerably bruised, but not seriously injured. The stories of Dye and Hancock, the bridge watchman, conflict in somewhat in regard to the accident to Church. Dye's theory being that he caught hold of the front end of baggage car, but not getting a firm hold enough to get upon the platform of the car was dragged along until his strength gave out and he lost hold and went through the bridge, while Hancock's theory, which is far the more probable is that Church did not get hold of the car at all, but that after the train had passed, he started to run after it to catch it and in his excitement forgot that the bridge was so near and that he went all right until he came to the place near the south abutment where there was a wide space between the ties and then dropped through. The distance he fell was about fifty feet, and the probabilities are that he never moved after he struck the ground. His skull was terribly crushed, his face horribly disfigured and his right arm, shoulder, and fingers broken.
When the accident was known, undertaker Cary was sent for the body and it was taken to his rooms, where a Coroner's Jury consisting of the following gentlemen: O.M. Hughson, foreman; W.K. Packer, J.B. Beesley, George A. Wilson, B.B. Colton, C.S. King, Theodore Hill, E. Tiffany, D.R. McDonald, and J. Sibley was summoned by Coroner Avery. After reviewing the body, the Jury returned to the Court House, where an inquest was held, and the following evidence given:
Albert Cary: Sworn, testified. Was ordered by J.W. Church to go to Lyon Brook Bridge this morning. I went there; arrived at 11 A.M.; found the body of Frank Church lying near the south abutment of bridge on his face, upon the ground; he was dead. His face was very badly bruised and right arm broken; Saw blood under his face, evidently coming from wounds on his face; saw no blood elsewhere; brought the body to my undertaking rooms.
[Answer to ] Question by King: Found him lying on his face. I should judge that he fell nearly 50 feet, for it was the distance from the bridge to where he lay.
John Flinn: Sworn, testified. I am an employee of the Midland Railroad as freight auditor(?) and to look after the interests of the road; know the rules of the Company; the timetable of the road states that trains do not stop at that point, Lyon Brook Bridge, to receive or discharge passengers; they do not stop even on special occasions unless by a flag, as train would: engineers are ordered not to stop at that point; do not know rate of speed they are allowed to run; passed over the bridge to [observe] about 11 A.M.; saw body lying face down near south abutment; James Hancock, bridge watchman, informed me that the body was there; did not go down to body where it was laying; was at Oxford when informed by Hancock that the body was there.
Jerry Dye: Sworn, testified. Was at gas station in this village the night before New Years eve, about 5 or 6 o'clock in the afternoon; saw Frank Church there; Mr. Fisher came in and asked me to go come with him to Lyon Brook; Fisher resides one-half mile from bridge; promised to go down with him; I went over to Smith's store; saw Frank Church after I came back from store; I stated to Church that I was going down to Fisher's to spend New Years; he replied that he should be lonesome; I said, come down, Frank and I advised him to go to the Midland and ride down with the bridge watchman, Mr. Hancock; he replied, I will come on; we then parted and I went home; next I saw him yesterday morning in the road near Lyon Brook bridge about 9 A.M.; was with him the balance of the day till about 8 o'clock P.M.; first we went together to the grist mill of Charles Fisher; staid there about 15 minutes, more or less; went from there to Charles Fisher's house; staid there 3 or 4 hours; we both drank 2 or 3 glasses of cider apiece; when we left there we went to Dan Fisher's and had supper; staid there about an hour; drank no cider there; next went to Mr. Lindsey's, stopping at the mill on the way; staid there one-half hour; drank one glass of cider apiece there; went from there to the shanty at the south end of railroad bridge; James Hancock was at the shanty when we arrived; went to no other places than I have mentioned; stayed at shanty till arrival of train; Hancock said he could slack the train so that they could get on; Hancock advised Frank to catch the train at forward end of baggage car on its arrival; saw Frank Church try to get aboard the train at point advised; saw him grab at car; that was the last time I saw Frank Church alive; I tried to get on the same train at the rear end of rear car and missed and was thrown down the bank; I was bruised some in the fall, injuring my knee, both hands and right side of back above hip; don't know the distance I fell, but it must be 40 feet; after I came to, I went to Lindsay's house and stayed all night; in the morning after breakfast, about 6:30 went to Mr. Lindsey's shop; while I was in the shop, E. Lindsay came in and told us that Mr. Hancock said there was someone dead under the bridge; I went to where the body lay in company with the four Lindsey's; the body was lying on its face; I did not touch the body; I went back to Lindsey and told him to hitch up a horse and go to Norwich and inform friends; I recognized the body by the clothing.
Dr. W.H. Stuart: Sworn, Testified. Have been a practicing physician and surgeon in Norwich. Have examined the body of Frank Church and find the following injuries: two fingers of right hand broken, wrist broken, right shoulder broken, a fracture of anterior portion of skull. The fracture extended from eyebrow to near the medial line; the injury to skull was sufficient to produce death and in my opinion that was the cause of his death.
James Hancock: Sworn, Testified. My business is bridge watcher at Lyon Brook, on the Midland Railroad; was on duty yesterday; saw Frank Church and Jerry Dye at about 4 or 5 o'clock at the bridge; saw them at Charlie Fisher's and also saw them at Lindsey's a short time before; they came to bridge about 6 o'clock in the evening; had no conversation with them; had a little talk with them when they first came up; they stayed at shanty for about two hours; I stated to them that train did not stop; I can get on train, you must take your chances; I lighted a piece of waste and advised Frank Church to get on the forward end of baggage car, Dye the front end of coach and I would get on ahead of coach; I don't know that I saw Church try to get on; that was the last time I saw Church alive; I first saw body when I arrived at bridge; saw the body lying near south abutment of bridge on the ground; should say the distance from bridge to ground was 40 feet; I called to Lindsey and told him there was a body there; I went down to where the body lay as soon as they came up; the body was lying face down with [-?-] his head; I [identified] Church by his clothing; I then went to shanty from the body; I took first train to Oxford and informed the agent at that place of the accident; the parties to all appearances were sober; I knew that Church did not get aboard train for I saw him running after the train, and saw him stop on the track after train passed, about the length of a car behind the train; think when he saw me get aboard train he ran after it, and fell between the ties, as there was a wide space in the ties over where he lay.
Archibald Lindsey: Sworn, Testified. I live at Lyon Brook Bridge; did not see Frank Church yesterday; Mr. Dye came to my house about 8:30 last night; he staid at my house all night; Mr. Hancock informed me about 9 o'clock that there was a dead man under the bridge; have heard evidence of witnesses Dye and Hancock and corroborate same.
Charles Lindsey: Sworn, Testified. Live with my father near Lyon Brook Bridge; saw Church and Dye yesterday between 5 and 6 in the evening at our house; they remained there about 20 minutes; when they left, they went to bridge; did not see Frank Church alive after that; heard Dye and Hancock's evidence and fully agree with it; when I saw body it was lying on face, head toward the abutment.
After a brief deliberation the Jury returned a verdict of accidental death.
The deceased was about twenty-one-years of age and leaves a wife and one child. He was a son of the late William H. Church and a brother of District Attorney John W. Church, and also leaves another brother, two sisters and a mother to mourn his sad and untimely death which has cast a deep gloom over a large circle of his friends, relatives and acquaintances.
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