144 Years Ago
The October 13, 1880 Colorado Transcript included the following accident report:
A sad accident occurred on Thursday night last to one of the visitors from Denver to the republican meeting here. A young man named John P. Good, a member of the young men’s Garfield and Arthur club. After the train started he thrust his head out of the window of the car and was struck by a freight car which was standing upon a side track. His neck was broken causing his death in a few moments. Deceased was a nephew of John Good, Esq., city treasurer of Denver.
The October 8, 1880 Rocky Mountain News had a longer account, and said the young man’s name was Jacob–not John.
A FATAL ACCIDENT
Just as the train had pulled out from the depot, filled with the half drunken crowd, and the reports of the fire arms were making a great din, a young man named Jacob Good, a nephew of John Good, of this city, was sitting in one of the car seats, when a sudden volley of shots resounded upon the evening air from the train. Good, who is said to have been considerably under the influence of liquor, put his head and shoulders out of one of the windows and began yelling at a terrific rate. The train was then only about ten minutes out of Golden. Of a sudden Good’s voice was hushed, and when those around turned to note the cause they observed his head, still out of the window, bumping lifelessly against the side of a freight car which stood on a side track close alongside which the train at that time was passing. A colored man saw the position of affairs and dragged the young man into the car. He was still breathing, but insensible. Blood started from his right ear, but otherwise he appeared uninjured. In a few minutes he was dead.
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