Robert Lorenzo Lochbaum

Robert was ground beneath the wheels of a Western Maryland freight train while sleeping on the tracks just east of town. He came to Gettysburg Saturday morning to have dental services performed and visited the office of Dr. G. C. Cobean. Dr. Cobean removed several teeth and the patient left the office; he was not gone long, however, until he returned, and repeated this performance several times during the course of a few hours. People who observed him say that he was visibly intoxicated and attributed his peculiar actions to excessive drinking.

About the time East bound passenger train due here at 3:10 arrived the man put in an appearance at the station and asked for a ticket. He was refused a ticket by the ticket agent and told that he could not purchase it because of his intoxicated condition, and was asked to leave the station and vicinity of the railroad. This warning had no effect on him and he boarded the train without a ticket, proceeding as far East as Granite Station, where the conductor left him off and told him to wait for the West bound train in the evening, when he would be taken to Orrtanna. He did not wait for the evening train, but started to walk back toward Gettysburg, reaching a point near the camp siding, about two miles East of town, where it is supposed he fell asleep on the tracks. West bound freight No. 311, hauling 36 cars, came out of Wible's cut and had just rounded the curve when Engineer Powell saw the form of a man on the track's about a hundred yards ahead. The air brakes were instantly applied throughout the entire train, but with a heavy freight descending a steep grade they were not able to bring the train to a stop until after three cars had passed over the body. It was necessary to uncouple the train in order to remove the body from its entanglement. The news of the accident spread rapidly and many people were attracted to the scene of the disaster.

His neck was broken, his chest caved in, the skull was broken at several places, one arm was off about four inches from the shoulder, and another was hanging by a few shreds of skin, one of his legs was cut off near the hip and a portion of the other foot was cut off.

Coroner Woomer, of Cashtown, was notified of the accident and he visited the scene. After viewing the body he declared that he regarded no inquest necessary as the cause of the man's death was perfectly apparent. (Adams County News - Gettysburg, Pa 9 May 1914)

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Mar 1 2017, 15:46:52 UTC