Chicago & Erie Railroad Personnel File Abstract - C.D. Brown



C.D. BROWN
Age 23, married, one child. Resides at North Judson. In case of injury, notify wife and father, O.D. Brown, San Pierre, Ind. Previously employed six weeks on CM&St.P. Enters service as brakeman, January 26th, 1896.

Called his attention particularly to Rules 202 to 208 inclusive, also 228. Promoted to extra passenger brakeman, Sept. 5, 1901. Assigned the position of regular brakeman on Trains 9 and 10. See new book.




SOURCE: P. 189, Chicago & Erie Railroad Employment Summary Book, ledger book covering @ 1880-1905. Donated to this site courtesy of Nick Pappas. Transcription by Jim Sponholz (c) 2007.


From the Tuesday, January 22, 1907 issue of the Rochester News:
A former resident of Rochester, C. D. Brown, who was an Erie brakeman is reported to have shot himself at Huntington last night with suicidal intent. He went to a hardware store and purchased a revolver and some cartridges. And before leaving the store he loaded his revolver and turning it on himself fired two bullets into the region of his heart. He was taken to a hospital where he died about eight hours after the shooting.

Brown formerly lived in one of the Shetterly houses in the north part of town. He was a married man and the father of one child and step-father of two. He was said to be a nervous, excitable man and had recently said all the conductors on the road "had it in" for him. His wife's first husband is said to have died in an insane hospital and as she is a very lady-like and industrious woman she has the sincere sympathy of many friends both here and at Huntington.

Also:
Monday, January 28, 1907

In describing the suicide of C. D. Brown, the Erie brakeman, a Huntington paper says after shooting himself he fell to the pavement and was taken at once to the Huntington hospital, where an effort was made to save his life, but without avail. He lingered in agony until he passed away. He fought the surgeons in the hospital and objected to them giving him any attention or making any efforts to save his life, and insisted that he wanted to die, and stated that if the present effort was a failure that he would accomplish his purpose later.

Rochester News-Sentinel transcriptions by Jean C. and Wendell C. Tombaugh, available online through the Fulton County Library, Rochester, IN]

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