Unidentified man killed by M. C. Train

This story was published by the Ypsilanti Daily Press on Saturday, January 14, 1931.

An unidentified man supposedly a tramp was struck by an eastbound freight train near Lowell about 4:30 Friday afternoon and instantly killed. The body was badly mangled both arms and legs being broken and the head partially severed. Mr. Cook of Lowell, who witnessed the accident immediately notified officers of this city and the body was brought to Wallace and Clarke’s undertaking parlors, where it is now awaiting identification.

The clothing would indicate that the dead man was a laborer. His shoes were worn and he was wearing a pair of yarn mittens which were badly in need of darning. A paper sack which might have contained a lunch and a paper with a small amount of tobacco were found in his pockets. No money was found about his person. He was probably about 35 years old.

Just a few moments before the accident Mr. Cook of Lowell met the man as he was walking on the tracks and was speaking with him. Mr. Cook passed on and as he noticed a train approaching stepped out of the way and turned to see if the stranger also had noticed its approach. He evidently had not so Mr. Cook called to him but was unable to make him hear on account of noise made by the train. The east and west bound trains pass each other at this place and in stepping out of the way of one train he stepped in the way of the other.

One theory is the bosy was thrown by one train to the small space between the two tracks against the second train and was bounded back and forth two or three times. This might account for the legs being broken and the top of the head being severed and the trunk of the body not being mutilated. The clothing was torn to shreds.

This is the second accident of the kind to occur at Lowell during the past few days, Mr. Smith, formerly of Ypsilanti, having met his death just below the crossing of the road with the railroad track and the unidentified man just above the crossing.