Horrific accident claims young life on Thanksgiving eve, 1905

This photo of the Hannibal Railway and Electric Companies’  Car No. 8 is believed to have been taken in front of the steps of South School. Some of the other photos in this series are dated 1905.  This photo was evidently taken during the summer, baseball season, as there is a sign promoting an upcoming baseball game at Athletic Park on the front of the car. On Nov. 29, 1905, Car No. 8 hit and subsequently ran over 9-year-old Thurlow Helwig, a student at the school. The accident took place by the school’s front steps, which are barely visible to the right of the car, in this photo. Note there are children seated on the school’s front lawn, at right. Photo, most likely taken by Anna Schnitzlein (1869-1939), was contributed by Willie Richmond, a Mainland descendant.

MARY LOU MONTGOMERY

Six boys served as honorary bearers for their young friend, 9-year-old Thurlow Helwig, as he was laid to rest at Riverside Cemetery on a cold December day in 1905.

Helwig, a student at Hannibal’s South School, died as a result of injuries sustained when struck, and subsequently run over, by Hannibal street car No. 8. The tragedy occurred at the front steps of the school, where they connected with Clay Street (Fulton Avenue) and where School Street intersects.

The accident occurred in full view of a bevy of students, ranging from first to seventh graders, just released for their lunch break during the noon hour, on the Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving.

Miss Kansteiner, Thurlow’s teacher, stood outside of the school’s west-facing door, supervising the lunch dismissal. 

Ambrose Coursey, 22, who was also at the scene, later told attorneys associated with investigating fault for the accident: The children came out from the school “in line and when they got to the steps they went to go home in every direction.”

(The children went home for lunch, as there was at that time no school lunch program.)

At the same time as the dismissal, according to Miss Kansteiner, the Hannibal Railway and Electric Companies’  Car No. 8 was making its usual slow trek southward on Clay Street, which ran parallel and to the west of the front of the school building. Its destination was to the south, the last stop on the line, at Mount Olivet Cemetery.

Miss Kansteiner described the series of events for the Wednesday, Nov. 29, 1905 afternoon edition of the Hannibal Courier-Post, which reported:

“It seems, according to the teacher of the room in which he attended school that there was a man in front of the building handing out tickets to a matinee performance and that the boy failed to get one of them and that he grabbed two of them from another boy, and in trying to get away ran in front of the car.”

Before anyone knew what happened, the street car knocked the boy down and the front wheels ran over the boy. The driver jerked the car to a stop.

Ambrose Coursey and William Morris, 18, were men of color who had been hired to distribute free matinee tickets to the Jack Hoeffler Company’s next matinee at the Park Theater, located on the southwest corner of Fifth and Center.

William Morris later told attorneys in a deposition that, “Two fellows picked him (the boy) up and carried him into the school house. One of them was named Kirby and he was working for the street car company.”

(In 1905, according to the Hannibal city directory, Irvin Kirby was a conductor for the Hannibal Railway and Electric Company.)

Dr. J.C. Chilton, the Helwigs’ family physician, arrived at the scene, and assessed the boy’s injuries.

Dr. Chilton later reported that the boy had a fracture of his left leg at the hip joint; a fracture of the pelvis, and a cut across the abdominal muscles, down the right leg; both arms were broken and the boy had two broken ribs.

A carriage transported the boy to his home atop Park Avenue hill, Dr. Chilton said. The boy died of his injuries en route.

Thurlow Helwig was the middle of three sons born to George B. (1861-1956) and Mary Helwig (1872-1950), who had made their home on Park Avenue since 1903.

Others in the household were brothers Edward C. Helwig (1894-1983) and Frank Helwig (1899-1979), and the boys’ maternal grandparents: Andrew Jackson Meenach (1837-1907) and Charlottie Jane Sandy Meenach (1849-1933).

At the time of his son’s death, George Helwig was a passenger engineer on the K line. On the day of the accident, he left Hannibal at 6 a.m. for Burlington, Iowa, returning as engineer of train 14, arriving in Hannibal at 3:30 p.m., two hours after his son’s death.

The Hannibal Weekly Journal reported in its Dec. 8, 1905 edition: “He was notified by telegraph of his son’s death when the train arrived at West Quincy. Upon the arrival of the train here he left his engine at the depot, where he was met by Rev. Chase, who accompanied him to his sorrowful home.

“Thurlow Helwig was considered among the brightest and best boys in the South School, being a pupil in Miss Kansteiner’s room, and was beloved by all who knew him.”

His funeral was conducted at the Broadway Methodist Church, located on the southeast corner of Sixth and Broadway.

Schoolmates who served as pallbearers were as follows, Masters: 

Irwin Heinze lived on Fairview Avenue, South Hannibal in 1905. He was the son of Henry A. and Caroline M. Heinze. He later worked as a teller for Hannibal National Bank for 32 years. He died in 1984 at age of 88.

Francis Woodson was the son of Payton T. and Emma B. Shelby Woodson, who lived at 313 Third Street, South Hannibal, in 1905. Francis died 1952 at age of 60, and is buried at St. Mary’s Cemetery (Holy Family) in Hannibal. Payton Woodson was a molder for the C.A. Treat Manufacturing Company.

Joseph W. Tankard died in California Aug. 10, 1936, where he worked as a private chauffeur. He is buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery, Hannibal, along with his parents, Joseph W. Tankard, 1870-1945, and Sarah E. Baker Tankard, 1871-1933. In 1905 the Tankard family lived at 711 Ben Lomond, South Hannibal. Joseph Tankard was an engineer for the Burlington Railroad.

Stanley Berking died in July 1985, at Billings, Mont. He was 92. For 20 years, he owned and operated the New London, Mo., Pharmacy, from 1930 until his retirement in 1950. He was the son of Leota McCormack and William A. Berking. William Berking worked for the Burlington Railroad and in 1905 they lived at 1038 Valley, South Hannibal.

Walter Stockton Robbins died Feb. 16, 1927, in Hollywood, at the age of 31. He was buried at Denver, Colo. He was the son of Jennie Henriette Stockton Robbins (1872-1945), and Charles E. Robbins, 1870-1911. Walter’s father was an engineer for the Burlington Railroad and in 1905 they lived at 620 Walnut, South Hannibal. Buried at Riverside Cemetery, Hannibal.

Normal Gardie. (Unable to identify.)

School building

At the time of the accident, South School consisted of two, two-story brick buildings joined by a 2-story passthrough. The main entrance was opposite of School Street. These buildings served South Hannibal students until the mid 1920s, when a new building was constructed. In September 1905, there were 426 students, grades first through seventh.

A.D. Stowell was the long-time principal of South School, and when the new school opened, residents of the neighborhood petitioned to have the building named in Mr. Stowell’s honor.

Other witnesses who gave depositions in this case:

Hal Peterson, student.

Alma Harris, student, corner of Clay and School streets.

Ethel Minor, student, 216 Fourth Street, South Hannibal.

Harvey Reynolds, student, lived on Union Street, across from Bulkley’s Meat Market.

Fred McKiernan, student, Tenth Street, South Hannibal

Harold Peterson, 10 years old, lived near the Helwigs.

Earl Bennett, in the same classroom with Thurlow Helwig.

Merrill Gordy, student, lived on the hill near the Helwigs.

Charles Childer, student.

Garland Yancey, student.

Geneva Bradley, student.

Charles Lambert Sr., who had been a janitor at the south school for 18 years.

Harry Engnehl, a Hannibal policeman who was on the car going south on Clay Street at the time of the accident. He and his wife, Maggie, lived at 812 Walnut, South Hannibal.

J. Henry Graber, motorman in charge of Car No. 8 at the time of the accident.

Note: Some information for this story came from the files of Charles E. Rendlen, (1877-1957) prominent Hannibal attorney, who was active in civic affairs and Republican politics. The ancient files were recovered from the basement of the old Rendlen law firm at 108 N. Third St., by the building’s current owner, Sally Kintz, of Poole Communications.

South School, as it stood during the later part of the 1800s, and early years of the 1900s. It consisted of two brick, two-story buildings, with identical front facades, joined together by a two-story hallway. The street in front of the camera would be School Street, and the vacant land to the right would later be a building spot for the South Side Baptist Church. Steve Chou photo collection.

Mary Lou Montgomery retired as editor of the Hannibal (Mo.) Courier-Post in 2014. She researches and writes narrative-style stories about the people who served as building blocks for this region’s foundation. Books available on Amazon.com by this author include but are not limited to: "The Notorious Madam Shaw," "Pioneers in Medicine from Northeast Missouri,” “Hannibal’s ‘West End,’” “Oakwood: West of Hannibal,”  and “St. Mary’s Avenue District.” Montgomery can be reached at Montgomery.editor@yahoo.com Her collective works can be found at www.maryloumontgomery.com