JOHN SEILER

JOHN SEILER KILLED, TRAIN HITS AUTO
SAD ENDING OF TRIP TO CONVEY LOVE
Local People on Way Home After Birthday Party
John Seiler residing on Rural Route 5 just outside the city limits
was killed and four other Manitowoc residents seriously injured at
Appleton, Friday night when the automobile in which they were
driving, was struck by the C. & N.W. passenger train within the city
limits of Appleton.
THE DEAD:
John Seiler, aged 70.
THE INJURED:
Eleanor Pilger, fractured skull, may not live.
Clifford Seiler, internal injuries.
Anton Panosh, serious cuts and bruises.
Frank Pilger, cut about the head and shoulders.
The crash occurred in the presence of a throng of people on the depot
platform at Appleton, who were awaiting the train's arrival.
Went To Convey Greetings
The party went to Appleton from here yesterday afternoon to convey
birthday greetings and gifts to Mrs. Lella Mortimer, a daughter of Mr.
Seiler, who lives at 732 North Division Street, that city. After
felicitations had been extended and a happy social hour had passed,
the party left the home in their machine driving south on Superior
Street Street (sic). A short distance from there, there is a crossing
of the North Western tracke (sic) there being four or five sets of
rails.
Panosh was driving the car and according to the story he told today,
did not notice the oncoming train which at this point rounds a curve
and cannot be seen until almost at the crossing.
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HAD PREMONITION THAT HE WOULDN'T RETURN
When the trip was proposed yesterday the aged Seiler willingly became
a member of the party. When it became time to start, however, and he
had not changed his clothes, he was importuned to do so but said,
"What's the use of changing clothes, I'm not coming back anyway."
Asked what he meant by that he said, "Well, I'm not coming back, that's
all. I'm going to live among the Indians from now on."
********
The gates were up and the machine was partly on the track when the
driver saw the headlights of the train, but too late. Coming into
the station it was traveling at a comparatively low rate of speed
but the engineer was unable to avert the crash and the train hit the
auto squarely in the middle skidding it along the tracks for a distance
of 600 feet. Panosh tried to swing his machine to the left to avoid the
train but there was a freight car in the way and by this time it was
too late and the horror stricken crowd on the depot platform saw the
death scene enacted with the occupants of the car unable to leap for
their lives.
Seiler Was Still Alive
Bystanders rushed to the assistance of the party and found that although
Seiler was still alive, he was unconscious and died before he could be
taken to the hospital. Of the injured Miss Pilger is in the most serious
condition and has probably suffered a fractured skull which may prove
fatal. The others of the party miraculously escaped with cuts and bruises
and were taken to St. Elizabeth's Hospital for treatment.
At the point where the accident occurred no flagman is on duty in the
daytime, it is said, and Panosh when seen today declares that he felt
perfectly safe in driving over the tracks when the gates were up. The
train which crashed into the machne is known as the Copper Country Limited,
northbound out of Chicago, arriving at 8:06 P.M. over the Northern Wisconsin
division.
There was a large crowd of people at the depot who witnessed the accident,
being for the most part delegates to the National United Commercial
Travelers Convention just finishing a session at Appleton, the delegates
being on the way home. Auto wreckage was strewn all along the track and
the body of the car with its occupants was carried along on the cow
catcher until the engineer could bring his engine to a stop. Two of the
occupants of the car were able to climb out unassisted but the age man
and Miss Pilger were carried to the depot from where they were taken to
the hospital in the ambulance. Seiler died on the way.
The victim of the accident, John Seiler, was born in this county in 1854
at Manitowoc Rapids. He was married in Manitowoc and his widow survives.
There are three children, two boys, Clifford, who was on the trip with
him, and Irving, with whom he made his home on the Plank road west of the
city, and, one daughter at Appleton whom they were visiting and carrying
a message of congratulation.
Miss Pilger and Clifford Seiler, two other members of the party, are
sweethearts, and are to wed soon.
Manitowoc Herald News, Saturday, June 7, 1924 P.1
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[bur 06-09-1924/cause: shock following R.R. accident]