Yesterday morning as the result of a small boy throwing a lighted firecracker in front of a team of colts driven by Dr. E. C. Cross, occurred an accident which had a terrible and perhaps fatal termination. He was driving near the brewery owned by Sebuster Bros., when the team became frightened by the explosion of the fire-cracker near them, and started to run. The doctor would have been perfectly able to hold them had not a bit broken in the mouth of one of the animals, causing them to veer sharply to one side. As they were already going quite fast the consequence was that the carriage was overturned and Dr. Cross was thrown violently from his seat and through the picket fence on the south side of Second street.

The accident was seen by Mr. Benjamin Yates, of Pleasant Grove, and he, with Mr. Thomas Porter, of Marion, who was near, carried the injured man, as best they could, to his home. It was found that his left leg was broken, the bone projecting through the flesh and trousers leg when he was picked up.

A piece of bone was found sticking in the ground some time afterwards, and the supposition is that he was thrown through the fence with such force that the bone was pushed through and into the ground, breakoff there. The piece of bone found was fully four inches in length and split in the center. the remaining portion, together with some gravel, being removed when the wound was dressed. A severe scalp injury was also sustained but the skull was not injured.

He was taken home and the wound dressed after which he rallied and for some time yesterday his friends had hopes that he would recover from his injury. During the night, however the reaction set in and this morning he was reported as dying.

Rochester Daily Post
Rochester, Minnesota
July 5, 1894

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