Killed By the Train - New Market Herald [New Market, Iowa] As a double headed freight train was pulling through the yards of the K & W Ry in this city last Sunday, Austin Raper was struck and fatally injured. In just 20 minutes after the accident he died. Engineer Davis, on the front engine whistled, and gave every other signal possible to save the victim, but it was all in vain. Mr. Raper was almost totally deaf and with his head down apparently in deep thought, he walked directly into the engine. The force of the clash threw him tumbling to the side of the track, where a number of spectators who witnessed the accident, rushed, to find him dying. A medical examination showed one limb broken in two places, a deep gash on the other limb, very likely where the step on the cowcatcher struck, as he was walking on the end of the ties. The fatal wound was a fracture in the skull, to such an extent that the brains were visible.

The coroner, Dr Dunn, of Siam, was telephoned, but could not get here and gave orders for an inquest by Mayor Abbott. A jury was promptly sworn and after hearing the evidence returned the verdict: "The deceased came to his death by accident and through no fault of the engineer or employees of the railroad company." The train was held until after the inquest, about an hour, when it was allowed to pass. Engineer Davis, on the front engine, and in fact the entire crew, were very much affected over the unfortunate accident. The remains were taken to the home of the deceased where they were given in charge of the undertaker.

Mr Raper was a poor man and a cripple, and leaves a wife and eleven children. For some time, at times he was slightly deranged mentally, but his worst misfortune was his deafness. Last winter the family were made homeless, by having the house in which they lived burned to the ground, including their clothing and furniture. The citizens contributed to their assistance, and they had just begun to get started again.

Richard A. Raper was born in Illinois, Oct 13, 1853 and died in New Market, Iowa, September 23, 1906, aged 63 years, 11 months, and 20 days. He united in marriage to Spedie Powell in Taylor county, Iowa, Feb 15, 1877. To this union were born 11 children all of which live. The funeral was held at the house on Tuesday at 2 pm, and interment taken in the Dallas Center cemetery.

Richard Austin Raper was born in 1852 and died Sunday, Sept. 23, 1906, aged 59 years, 11 months and 25 days. Mr. Raper was born in the state of Illinois, where he lived until he was about twenty years old, when he moved to Iowa; where he met and was married to Miss Spedie Powell, February 15, 1877, to which union eleven children were born, all of whom were alive at the time of his death.   He was not a member of any church but had made covenant with the Adventist church in Hawleyville about 1889. About l895 he moved his family to Illinois, where he lived until about a year ago, when he again moved to Iowa for his health, being in very poor health and almost  entirely deaf. His death was caused by being struck by a railroad train, after which he only lived about ten minutes. Funeral services were conducted at the home in New Market Tuesday, Sept 25, 1936, at 2 p. m. by Rev. P Lunsford., after which interment was made in the Dallas Center cemetery. CLARINDA HERALD, Clarinda, Iowa, Sep 28, 1906

KILLED BY TRAIN

Old Man Too Deaf to Hear Train Instantly Killed at New Market Sunday.

Austin Raper, an old gentleman fifty-four years of age and deaf was run down by a special freight at New Market Sunday afternoon at two o'clock. Mr. Raper had been up town and was returning to his home, when the accident occurred. He was walking westward about a hundred yards west of the elevator and too deaf to hear the freight that was approaching from the West and was struck and instantly killed.
The old gentleman came to New Market from Illinois about a year ago and has quite a large family, leaving a wife and nine children. The funeral was held at two o'clock this afternoon. CLARINDA HERALD, Clarinda, Iowa, Sep 25, 1906