Allegheny County PA Archives-  Obituaries: Paxton, William, 12 Dec 1896

Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by:
Martha Little, <littlegen03@hotmail.com>, Jun 2010

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from The Pittsburgh Press dated Sunday, December 13, 1896 (page 11):
 
RUN DOWN BY A SHIFTER
 
W B PAXTON was instantly killed yesterday afternoon by a shifting
engine on the West Penn railroad, near Pine street, Allegheny. The
wheels of the engine and tender passed over his head, which was
terribly crushed. The remains were placed in a rough box and taken to
the undertaking rooms of L Wilson & Son on Cedar avenue.
 
PAXTON's death is the culmination of what might be termed a run of
hard luck. He was married four years ago, and two months afterward he
lost three fingers while attempting to couple a car to a shifting
engine. He then expressed himself as believing that he would again be
overtaken by misfortune. Two years later his infant babe died and
about two months ago his father died. His mother was so overcome with
grief that she suffered a stroke of paralysis, from which she never
recovered. To add to the misfortune of the victim of last night's
accident, his mother became insane, and only recently was removed to a
sanitarium at Pardoe, Mercer County.
 
Since her removal, PAXTON has been greatly worried, but attended to
his duties, which were those of an extra freight conductor on the West
Penn road. At 5:40 yesterday afternoon he was returning from work and
was run down by a shifting engine in charge of Engineer George BEATTY.
Death was instantaneous. The sight of the mangled corpse sickened
the witnesses of the terrible accident, and it was not until the
arrival of the undertaker that the remains were gathered together.
 
When information of her husband's death was brought to Mrs PAXTON she
was prostrated. The PAXTONs live at 38 Sandusky street. When a Press
reporter called there last night Mrs PAXTON was said to be in a
serious condition.
 
Had the victim of the accident lived till next Thursday he would have
been 34 years old. He had been in the service of the West Penn
company for a number of years.
 
The coroner was notified of the accident, but owning to the late hour,
the investigation will not be made until today.
 
 
 
from the Allegheny City Death Records:
 
William PAXTON, age 33 years, married, brakeman, died December 12,
1896, killed on the West Penn Railroad; born in PA; lived at 38
Sandusky Street; burial in Highwood Cemetery on December 15, 1896.
 
>From census records, William may be the son of William and Sarah
PAXTON of Mercer County PA.