Tulare, SD Train Wreck, Aug 1900

CRUSHED BY CARS

William Julian; Circus Rider, Mangled Beyond Recognition

As a result of a misstep between two cars on the Campbell Brothers circus train Thursday WILLIAM JULIAN, a member of the famous family of bareback riders, lost his life. The train was running north of Tulare, and had reached the top of the hill about a mile from that station when the accident happened. Mr. Julian was sitting on the brake wheel of a coach just ahead of his sleeper, and said to some one on the platform that he was going to bed. At the instant he stepped off the wheel, it is said, the train slackened a little and as he attempted to step across from one car to the other, he missed his footing and fell between the cars. A sleeper and caboose passed over him, literally grinding one side of his face to bits and tearing his left breast open. The body was dragged about 200 yards along the track.

The train was stopped as soon as possible and his body taken aboard and brought as far as Redfield, where the coroner was notified and an inquest held. The remains were then brought to this city and taken to the undertaking department of the Pioneer Furniture Company, where they were prepared for burial. The dead man was 33 years old and leaves a wife and three adopted children, all of whom are with the circus as bareback riders. Doc Cambell, J. C. March and John Cochran of the circus company stepped off the train to make arrangements for sending the body east. The deceased was a member of the Knights of Pythias, and the lodge of this city acted as escort of the remains to the depot.
On Friday the Knights of Pythias here received a telegram from the officials of the lodge of the order at Havana, Ill., of which deceased was a member directing them to spare no expense in the preparation of the body for burial and to send the bill for the same to the Havana lodge, which took charge of the body and burien (sic) it with honors when it reached there.

Aberdeen Weekly News, Aberdeen, SD 2 Aug 1900
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Transcribed by Jenni Lanham. Thank you, Jenni!