Miami Union

June 23, 1910 

FRANK HOEL

Hetzlers Corner--The most gruesome sight we ever witnessed was the mangled and lifeless bodies of Larkin Hoel, aged 37 years, and his nephew, Frank Hoel, aged 20 years, who met with a fatal accident, Friday, June 17, when attempting to cross the Panhandle railroad at what is known as the Robert Dickson crossing in Springcreek township.  Larkin Hoel was a farmer and a tenant on the Mrs. Melissa Speelman 80-acre farm one-half mile south of this crossing.  His nephew, Frank, was working for him as a farm hand.  Aside from their farming they did an extensive hay and straw baling business  On the fatal day they had driven to the home of Thomas Loughman, west of Fletcher where they contracted with Omar Loughman, another hay baler, to assist them with his machine.  On their return trip is when the accident occurred that cost them their lives.  The railroad at that point is three-tracked and a reasonable conclusion is that as they approached the crossing they were watching a heavy east bound freight train and failed to see the 1:28 west bound local that was bearing down on them at a high rate of speed, and drove so near the track that the engine struck the horse they were driving and drew the top buggy and occupants along side the engine and hurled them against the cattle guard fence with such force that both the drivers and horse were instantly killed.  The body of the older man as well as the carcass of the horse were rolled or thrown about two rods beyond the fence and thrown in a heap in the side ditch of the railroad.  The body of the young man lay where it struck the fence.  Before we arrived on the scene more than a score of farmers who had heard the sad news were there to lend a helping hand if need be.  J. C Subers of Fletcher was there with his ambulance.  Dr. I. C. Kiser of Fletcher was also there but, all that could be done was to await the coming of Coroner Gaines of Covington who had been telephoned for.  The fact that almost all that were present were either near neighbors or relatives of the men, who only a few moments before were pictures of healthy manhood but now were lying lifeless before us, caused a cloud of solemnity to settle over the scene that made the moments we were waiting for the coroner seem like hours.  As soon as he came, accompanied by Drs. F. E. Kitzmiller and W. J. Kelly of Piqua, they made a survey of the surroundings and he ordered the bodies removed to the undertaking establishment in Fletcher were postmortem examinations were made.  Frank Hoel was the son of Mrs. and Mrs. James Hoel who resides in the same neighborhood.  Larkin Hoel leaves a wife and three small children, one son and two daughters, as will be seen by reading the obituaries in the death column this week.  The railroad crossing where this accident occurred is rather a dangerous one.  Besides having three tracks on which trains are run the tracks are so much lower than the public road that it makes quite a descent to get on the railroad with a rig going either way.  Then west of the public road the train is almost hidden from view with high banks on each side of the railroad extending nearly 40 rods westward.  The railroad has to be crossed there by all the school children that live in the south half of that district as the school house stands but a few rods north of the crossing.  The citizens of the district have been proposing an overhead bridge at that point for some time.  The expressions we heard from the crowd that day convince us that this accident will stir the people to action and that a petition will soon be signed asking for an overhead bridge across the railroad at the crossing.  

Miami Union

June 23, 1910 

HOEL, FRANK - Springcreek--Frank Hoel, the second victim of last Friday's accident, an account of which appears elsewhere, was 20 years of age.  He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. James Hoel, who with three brothers and three sisters survive him.  The funeral was held from the house Monday forenoon and was conducted by Rev. Kilbourne.  Interment at Fletcher.  

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