Gladys Kuney & Doris Dickerson accident, Adrian, Lenawee County, Michigan SUBJECT: Gladys Kuney & Doris Dickerson SUBMITTER: Jane Willey-Fey EMAIL: Ladymaat61@aol.com DATE: Sep 03, 1999 SURNAMES: DICKERSON, GUNN, KUNEY, PULLMAN, TAYER From the Adrian Telegram, January 13, 1914 (with photograph): "Two Girls Meet Their Death Wen Lake Shire Train Hits Automobile At R. R. Crossing" Gladys Kuney, 20 and Doris Dickerson, 16, Teacher and Student, Were the Victims -- The Most Shocking Automobile Accident in the History of the City Happened Early Last Evening -- The Accident Occurred at Madison and Beecher Street Crossing of Lake Shore -- The Father of One Victim Witnessed the Tragedy from Front Yard of the Kuney Residence, Which Was Located Close By-- "The tragedy occurred at the Madison and Beecher street crossing of the Lake Shore road. In the yard of the Kuney home Leroy Kuney, father of the first victim, was an eyewitness of the entire scene. Powerless to prevent the accident he saw the train bear down upon them and crash into the automobile. The body of Miss Kuney, terribly mangled by the impact of the collision, was caught up by the pilot of the locomotive and carried nearly 100 yards down the track before it was hurled into the ditch. The skull and head were so crushed as to make recognition almost impossible, showing that death came instantaneously. Miss Dickerson, who was driving, and on the far side of the machine from the oncoming engine, was hurled 30 feet to the ground. The few horrified spectators of the killing who rushed to the scene believed that she also was dead, She was found to be still breathing, however. Several physicians were summoned to the scene and she was carried into the Kuney home and later rushed to Bixby hospital, where she died at 7:15 without regaining consciousness. It was found that her right leg was crushed, the left wrist and arm broken, and that she had suffered concussion of the brain. The crossing after the accident presented a terrible sight, stained with blood and strewn with the wreckage of the demolished automobile. The motor trip that ended so disastrously was the usual ride, take often by the girl chums. Meeting downtown after school, the secure U. S. Dickerson's car, with Doris Dickerson often drove, and took Thera Dickerson, Doris' little sister, and Mary Pullman who lives on the Tayer farm over a mile out on the county road, to their homes. After going to the Ford garage on East Church street to get some oil for the machine, the girls were ready to start. They had only gone a short distance out on College avenue, however, when the motor stopped, because the gasoline supply, which had not been noticed, had run out. The Ford garage was called up and an employee brought some gasoline out, so that the girls could proceed on their way. They went out College avenue and out Madison street to the Dickerson home, then out the county horse road to the Tayer home and were returning, probably with the intention of going to Gladys Kuney's home at 94 Madison, just across from the deadly crossing, when the fatal accident occurred. The two men who saw the accident, L. R. Kuney and Harry Pullman, believed that the reason the girls did not see or hear the approaching train was because the top was up, both side curtains down, and the noise of the auto itself probably drowned the noise of the coming train. In the cold weather, the difficulty of keeping the engine running properly probably occupied the driver's attention pretty closely, and as they knew that no train was due at that hour, did not make an especial effort to look out for danger. The Train Was Late. The west bound Lake Shore train due here at 3:09, which was the train that struck the Dickerson automobile yesterday afternoon, was a little more than an hour late, as stated by Lake Shore station employees today. The train came n at about 4:10, almost exactly an hour behind time, and after the usual delay to discharge and take on passengers, express, baggage, ext., went out. It was probably an hour and ten minutes late. Coroner B. P. Thomas, who lives at 64 Madison street, hardly a block from the scene of the accident, was called directly after the accident occurred. He reached the scene within a few moments, and although before he arrived the bodies of the two girls had been removed, the cause and the manner of occurrence of the accident were so plain that he decided at one that no inquest was necessary. Struck Front of Auto Strewn along the right-of-way of the Lake Shore, the automobile in which the girls met their death was a sight suggestive of wreck and run after the accident. The machine, though not hit squarely by the train was struck in such a madder that the front part of the automobile was smashed almost beyond recognition. The radiator was entirely out of commission, doubled together like folded cardboard. The front wheels were torn off, the axle buckled, windshield shattered and frame twisted, steering column was askew--in fact all the front part of the machine was demolished. Only the left rear wheel escaped injury entirely. The engine is so damaged that it is useless, garage men said today. The machine was brought in this morning, when employees of the Ford garage went to the scene of the accident, gathered up the parts, and loaded them on a truck. Curiosity seekers, who swarmed about the scene of the accident yesterday afternoon were also numerous today about the garage, wishing to get a look at the remains of the car. Remains Taken Home. The remains of Miss Dickerson were taken from the hospital about midnight last night and conveyed to the Mott undertaking rooms. Today the body was taken to the home west of the city. Funeral services for Miss Kuney will be held at the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Leroy R. Kuney, 94 Madison street, Thursday morning at 10:30. Dr. J. A. Seibert, pastor of the Presbyterian church, of which she was a member, will officiate. Burial will occur at Oakwood. Funeral services for Miss Dickerson will be held at the home of her mother and stepfather, Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Gunn....." .......The auto did not stop, but kept right up to the track. The train struck it! A grinding of brakes, the cries of the two girls in the machine, told of the terrible accident.Within the auto that Mr. Kuney had watched go to it destruction, was his own daughter, Gladys Kuney, and her mangled form, thrown far down the track by the collision, was the first sight that greeted him as he rushed down to aid the injured, if aid could be given. Not till Harry Pullman, a neighbor, who watched the accident powerless to avert it as was the other spectator, told Mr. Kuney that his own daughter was a passenger in the car, did he realize that he had watched his own daughter ride to her death. Says Engineer Sounded No Warning. The two men seem to have been the only direct spectators of the double tragedy outside of the locomotive crew. As the girls, who but a few minutes before had driven to Mr. Pullman's home, drove down the road toward the track, Mr. Pullman, who was walking down Madison, just south of the crossing, saw the train was coming, and waved to the girls to warn them. Mistaking his warning signals as only a waved greeting, they waved back light-heartedly at him laughing as they did so, and with this last joyous goodbye, drove in front of the speeding locomotive. Mr. Kuney was sure that the locomotive speeding to makeup the hour that it was behind schedule, did not whistle as it approached the crossing. He says today that he noticed that it particularly when he saw it coming thinking at the time that this meant danger to anyone who might be crossing, especially as the train was far behind it scheduled time, and no one would expect a train along at that hour. With the marks of the terrible experience through which he passed in those few moments as he stood in his door yard stamped on his features, he told this morning of watching the accident. His eyes were half-closed, as if he could see the horror that had passed before them as he told the story, and wanted to obscure his vision. The fact that there had been no tire chains on the machine led to some speculation today whether or not the girls saw the train, tried to stop, and were unable to do so on account of not having the chains on. Mr. Kuney's story did not uphold this theory, however. He said that they seemed to drive right up to the track, then tried to stop just as their wheels were almost on the rails. This was his best remembrance of the occurrence. If this was the case, the lack of tire chains did not affect the result of the accident, for either with or without chains, it was hardly possible that they could have stopped the car within a few feet of the slippery road bed, covered with snow and ice. Miss Dickerson. Miss Dickerson was the older of the two daughters of Mrs. C. H. Gunn who resides west of the city, and a niece of U. S. Dickerson of this city. She was born and raised at Bannister, Mich., the former home too of MR. and Mrs. Dickers, and resided there until a couple of years ago when she came to make her home with Mr. and Mrs. Dickerson. (Miss Dickerson's) sister, Thera Dickerson and the uncle, U. S. Dickerson, constitute the more immediate relatives. U. S. Dickerson was summoned by telegraph from Chicago where he had gone on a business trip." Also from the Adrian Telegram, January 13, 1914: "The Madison Street Crossing Not Dangerous -- Many Years Since An Accident Happened There: Cousin Killed at Another Crossing-- A peculiar feature of the accident at the Madison and Beecher street crossing, which cost the lives of two Adrian young women last night, is that the road and railroad intersection at that point is regarded as one of the safest in the city. From either side of the track and on either road, for a distance of at least 15 yards, there is an unobstructed view showing nearly a mile of the slightly elevated road bed. The track at the crossing is several feet above the level of the two roads which cross it, forcing vehicles to mount a slight incline before crossing the road bed. From this incline on either side the stretch of track is open to view. Another tragedy which is still recalled in connection with the present is that the crossing a little over a mile west of the Beecher street crossing is where James Kuney, a cousin of yesterday's victim, met his death in a similar manner September 19, 1912. That crossing is a striking contrast, however, to the Beecher street crossing, being regarded as unusually dangerous. Mr. Mason of West Beecher street remarked today in connection with the accident yesterday afternoon that this is the second time that a Lake Shore train has killed someone at the Madison street crossing. A farmer driving across the track at this point in a cutter was struck by an eastbound train. He was instantly killed, and his cutter reduced to splinters. Part of the cutter was carried up to the Lake Shore depot on the front of the engine. The accident occurred about 10 years ago, but the exact date of the accident and the name of the man killed are not remembered by those recalling the affair. ----------------------------------------------------- USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free genealogical information on the Internet, data may be freely used for personal research and by non-commercial entities as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format or presentation by other organizations or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for profit or any form of presentation, must obtain the written consent of the file submitter, or his legal representative and then contact the listed USGENWEB archivist with proof of this consent.