MONMOUTH - A few minutes before midnight on Saturday, Nov. 11, 1919, the southbound 52-passenger CB&Q train that had recently left Galesburg suddenly plunged into the bottom of a 90-foot ravine two miles north of Farmington. Engineer John Foulk and fireman Lloyd Palmer of Beardstown later died at St. Mary’s Hospital in Galesburg after being scalded by hot steam from the wrecked train’s engine.
It was quickly determined that the train plunged into the ravine following the malicious removal of several feet of track. As the engine skidded several feet over the broken and missing rails the baggage car remained attached. Miraculously the mail car coupling broke, which automatically set the air-brakes on the sleeping and chair cars toward the rear of the train and they remained erect.
The number of persons involved in causing the fatal derailment and their motive for doing it was a mystery. One theory was that those involved believed that all of the train units would plunge into the gulley and all of the passengers and train crew could be robbed of their belongings at will.
Around 8 p.m. the night of the wreck some person(s) entered the railroad section gang tool-house at Farmington and stole wrenches, bars and other tools that were used to rip out sections of the rails. At the same time a Ford automobile owned by Wallace Anderson of Knoxville was stolen from the front of the Farmington telephone office. Witnesses said the car contained two men who sped north from town without lights on.
Testifying at the inquest held at the Kimber & West Funeral Home were Galesburg residents Coroner G.S. Bower, train conductor S.J. Burke, flagman F.C. Turnbull and trainmaster S.L. Fee. The coroner’s jury composed of A.O. Lundstrum, George Clark, Mart Sandburg, George Farrell, Edwin McDermott and George Jones concluded that the deaths of the two railroaders was due to malicious displacement of the railroad tracks by parties unknown.
In late November 1919 the Burlington Railroad detectives announced they were searching for a person of Italian decent who was a suspect in the train accident near Farmington. He spent time in the Farmington jail and was released the day before the train wreck. Several people in both Lewistown and Farmington said he bragged about being thrown head first through a window as the train crashed. Detectives also said the suspect was investigated earlier for making threats against the CB&Q.