17 Sept 1928: Calvin A. Behney, aged 59 years, well known throughout the city and county as a bar clerk in pre-Volstead days, was killed at the Twelfth Street crossing of the Reading Railroad about 5 o'clock, Friday evening. He stepped in front of the New York flyer as it was entering the city at the rate of 50 miles per hour. County Coroner J. Herbert Manbeck, after interviewing eye witnesses to the tragedy, issued a death certificate ascribing the death to suicide. The body was claimed by George Coover, of Myerstown, a brother-in-law. The incident was one of the most horrible of its kind in recent years, and yet was apparently planned with determined premeditation and precision. Daniel Kutz, of 308 North 12th Street, the watchman at the crossing, told the coroner that the man, a stranger to him, approached the watchbox about 4:15 o'clock. He greeted Kutz pleasantly, and remarked that it was a very warm day. Kutz answered in kind, and for some minutes they discussed the weather. The stranger then walked away and was seen to stop at a house on Buttonwood Street, a half block away, where he talked to somebody, and then returned to the tracks again. Behney was apparently about to accost the watchman again, when the latter, after guarding the crossing for the passing of a westbound freight saw the signal, indicating the approach of the fast express. Because of its speed, Kutz always lowers the gates in plenty of time, and did so, as usual on this occasion. It was then that the stranger, moved up again and inquired, "What's coming now?" Kutz told the man. "It is a passenger train?" inquired the latter, Kutz replied affirmatively, and warned the man to be careful because of the awful speed of the train. Behney then walked diagonally across the crossing and stood in the street, near the west side walk, on the south side. As the train approached, Kutz waved his flag and warned the man to get further away. While the stranger was well off the mainline east bound track, Kutz was aware of the inrush of air as the express rushes by at that point and he was afraid the man might be dragged to the track by suction. The watchman was nonplused with horror when, as the onrushing train neared the crossing, the other man deliberately walked to the track ahead of it and was struck. The body was pitched across the thirty foot width of Twelfth Street, and fell at the side of the tracks twenty feet on the east side of the crossing. The train stopped as soon as the engineer could apply the brakes, and it was backed up to the scene. As the victim was beyond help, the body was left where it landed and the train moved on. The engineer stated that he saw the man and saw the watchman waving his frantic warning, but it was too late to even touch the brakes before the crash. While a search was being made for Coroner Manbeck, who was engaged in an investigation with County Detective George H. Carpenter, in Londonderry Township, the story of the occurrence spread rapidly over the city, and many persons went to the scene to see the mangled body. Among these was Elmer E, Leininger, North Ninth Street furniture dealer, and he identified the body as that of Behney, an employee of his for many years. Later the coroner found papers in Behney's pockets which completed the identification. Fifty six cents and a few papers, the only contents of the pockets, were turned over to Mr. Coover. The body was in a frightful state. The legs were broken at the ankles by the steel pilot, and the head had evidently crashed against the crossbar or the draw-head where the skull was splintered like an electric light globe falling on a stone floor. While the face was intact, both eyes were gone. The train did not run over the body, and the torso and upper legs were intact. Persons who saw the gruesome sight nearly fainted. City Councilman George L. Holstein, the North Ninth Street druggist, was waiting in his automobile to cross the tracks northward on Twelfth Street, and was one of the eye witnesses. He stated that Behney was looking directly at the approaching locomotive and apparently timed his steps to get directly in front. The victim of the tragedy was seriously afflicted with a hernia, it was stated by friends, and this, coupled with other troubles, probably led to his act. It was learned that Behney had an income from a fine farm near Myerstown, tenanted by A. H. Grumbine. He spent most of his career around hotels. He had charge of the stables at the Franklin House, Myerstown, when that place was kept by the late John Neidig and subsequently by John Friddell, and remained there when Elmer E. Leininger took over the place. He worked for Leininger later at Jonestown and Palmyra hotels, and more recently and when Hal Wunderlich conducted alternately the Grand Hotel, in this city. Behney went to Reading about two years ago, and was employed at a hotel at 153 South Seventh Street. He returned to Lebanon a week or more ago, and while he complained frequently about his physical condition, none of those interviewed in this investigation indicated that he might end his own life. Because of the number of witnesses who saw the tragedy, and the apparent futility of shedding any further light on the subject, Coroner Manbeck released the body and decided to hold no inquest. The deceased was a son of a prominent family, held in high regard in the county for many years. He was the son of the late Cyrus Behney, a successful farmer of Jackson Township. He leaves only a sister, Mrs. George Coover. Papers found in his pockets indicated that he was a member of the Fraternal Order of Reindeer, Reading Lodge, and No 16. [Lebanon Semi-Weekly News]