VAFAIRFA-L Archives

From: Timothy J Dennee <>
Subject: Cullinane death
Date: Tue, 7 Nov 2000 21:30:32 -0500

An 1897 letter referring to the accidental death of a man named
Cullinane. The letter was found in an Alexandria Corporation Court
Chancery Cause (#1902-027, John B. Padgett vs. Charles L. Padgett et
al.)---a case which appears wholly unrelated to this incident and letter.


Warrenton, Va., June 4, 1897.

Leonard Marbury, Esq.,
A.D.C., Alexandria, Va.

Dear Len:

If you have nothing to do just now and would like to have, join me at
Fairfax on Monday (on No. 35 which I will have stop there) and take a
hand in Cullinane's case. The man was a lamplighter between Ravensworth
and Burkes. He was killed by a freight train near Sideburn on the 4th of
July, 1894. He wanted to go to a pic-nic near Sideburn and announced his
intention of beating Rudd, the conductor, out of a ride. The last that
was seen or known of him he was standing on top of the train. It is
supposed he fell from it, but no one saw him. He was ground up beyond
all human recognition. Some story was invented by his father, it is
said, that after he got on top of the cars he had a scuffle with one of
the brakemen and was thrown off. There is no evidence of this, and even
if there was, a man who was a tramp at the time, beating his way on the
train, had no right to engage in conflicts and scuffles with employes of
the Company who are managing its trains, in such places and under
circumstances of such danger.

Yours truly,

Wm. H. Payne,
D.C.

This thread:

• Cullinane death by Timothy J Dennee <>