Bloomington (IN) Telephone
July 3, 1914
page 4

RECALLS TRAGEDY IN THIS CITY FIVE YEARS AGO

Tragic deaths run in the Sage-Pierce families of Lawrence County. Five years ago in this city, during the construction of the First Methodist Church, Cal Pierce met a spectacular death by falling head first from a scaffold. Yesterday near Bedford, Pierce's son had a narrow escape from death, and his father-in-law, Alvin Sage, was instantly killed. The Bedford Mail tells of the tragedy.

Alvin Sage, former resident of Bedford, was almost instantly killed near Heltonville Monday morning at 7:30 o'clock, and his grandson, Loran Pierce, was seriously injured when the wagon in which they were riding was struck by Southeastern train No. 4 at a road crossing a short distance east of Heltonville.

The tragedy occurred at a private crossing known as the John Henry Faubion crossing which is quite near the Sage farm. In doing the work about the farm, Mr. Sage was compelled to use the crossing, and it was supposed that this morning he failed to hear the approach of the train until it was too late.

The crossing is situated near a curve in the track, and the train could not be seen for but a short distance.

Adam Martin of Terre Haute, who was a passenger of the train and one of the first to reach Mr. Sage's side, told the story of the tragedy to Coroner Harris.

Mr. Martin first felt the impact of the train striking the wagon just as he looked out of the window. He saw the horse thrown in the air though it was not struck by the train.

He jerked his head back and ran to the door and jumped from the train when it stopped. Mr. Sage had not been thrown far from the side of the track and seemed to be underneath the horse. Martin saw the horse struggling to its feet, and when he reached the scene the horse was standing over the body. He loosened some of the harness and led it from over the injured man who was lying with his head very near the track.

Mr. Sage was then gasping for breath, and a number helped to place him in the baggage car. The boy was hurled for a distance of thirty or forty feet into a thicket, and his presence would have been overlooked had he not made considerable noise. He was picked up in a semi-conscious condition. Sage died before the train reached Heltonville.

The grandson, who was so seriously injured, is fourteen years of age and was the son of Cal Pierce, who met a tragic death in a fall from a Bloomington church building during the course of its erection. He may recover.

Typed and donated by Randi Richardson.