Mrs. Kate HINER, of this city, has received the sad intelligence of the death of her
sister, Mrs. Sarah CHAPMAN, who was killed while leaving an elevator at Portland, Oregin,
last Saturday. According to an account given by a Portland paper, she was in the act of
leaving the elevator on the fourth floor of the Lewis block, when it started downward and
caught her, crushing her skull and killing her almost instantly.
The paper referred to says: "Mrs. Chapman, who had rooms with her niece in the
building, had returned from her dressmaking establishment with her arms full of packages,
and, entering the elevator on the ground floor, talked and laughed with Fred PETERS, the
elevator man, all the way up to the fourth floor, where her rooms were. As the cage
slowed up Peters told her he had some groceries for her and turned to get a couple of
packages which were lying on a chair inside the cage. As he turned, the elevator in some
unaccountable manner began to fall. Peters wheeled around to the lever and was
horror-struck to see Mrs. Chapman standing on the landing with the band or ornamental iron
crushing down upon her temple. He seized her clothing and endeavored to pull her back,
but the rapidity moving the cage had done its work before he could force her into the
elevator. With a scream she fell to the floor of the cage and never regained
consciousness. So
great was the force of the blow that the iron which struck Mrs. Chapman's head was
completely torn from its fastenings."
Deceased was well known here having been born and reared in Miami county.
Miami County Sentinel - 6 April 1898