OBIT: Abraham RUSS, 1880, Blair Township, Blair County, PA

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HOLLIDAYSBURG HAPPENINGS.

KILLED WHILE WALKING ON THE TRACK.

  A little after 7 o'clock on Tuesday morning Abraham Russ, aged about 
60 years, who resided in a house located near the railroad track at Y 
switches, was struck by engine No. 494 while backing up on the Y in 
order to turn.  Mr. Russ being quite deaf he failed to hear the engine 
or the bell of warning, and stepping on the track was struck and 
instantly killed.  His leg and arm were horribly crushed and his chin 
and lower jaw broken.  Coroner Humes was notified and came over, but as 
the persons who witnessed the accident exonerated the engineer (Mr. 
Snyder) from all blame he did not think it necessary to put the county 
to the expense of holding an inquest.  He therefore returned home 
without the usual ceremony in such cases.  This is the third time Mr. 
Russ had been injured by walking on the railroad track.  He was a very 
remarkably strong man, and on a former occasion after being struck and 
knocked from the track instantly got up and shook his fist at the 
receding train.  He has also been twice knocked down and run over by 
wagons, and once was attacked by a vicious horse, receiving injury 
sufficient to have killed any ordinary man.  He was a quiet, 
industrious man, respected to all who knew him.  He leaves a wife and 
several children, all but one being married.  The railroad agent at 
Hollidaysburg refused to send a dispatch to Coroner Humes in Altoona, 
and the mangled remains of the unfortunate man were allowed to lay for 
two hours on the track in sight of his distressed wife, the employes of 
the road and neighbors being afraid to remove the remains without 
orders from the Coroner or the railroad officials.

Morning Tribune, Altoona, Pa., Wednesday, September 1, 1880

1880 Blair Township, Blair County census -
Abram Russ, 65 
Annie Russ, 61