253. Winchester News: Calling the Police, 5 Year Old's Frightful Death

 Jan. 19, 1952.   No answer when you call the police? 

Have you ever called the Winchester police station and received no answer? Here's the reason and a suggestion by Chief  'Fozy' Holdeman. There's no radio hookup like most modern towns have, so when the officer is out in the patrol car, nobody is in the station. However, when a phone call comes in, the light bulb goes on at the top of the courthouse tower, day or night. That's the signal for the cruising policeman to get back to the station right away. Many times however, when they do get there the caller has "hung up." So Chief Holdeman's suggestion is simply this- "Hang on until you get an answer."  

Aug. 3, 1921.  Winchester Youth Meets Frightful Death.  

Headstone of little Kenneth Ross in Fountain Park Cemetery. 

Kenneth Ross, age 5, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ivan Ross, of Winchester, was struck by an east bound freight train at 10 o'clock Friday morning. The accident occurred at the intersection of the Big Four railway and Union street. The child was amusing himself by tapping the side of the cars and lost his balance and fell beneath the cars severing his head and left arm from his body. The child was playing with a little boy who ran to the Ross home and told about the accident to Mrs. Ross. The mother was the first to arrive on the scene and found the decapitated body. Her screams brought the father to the scene who had returned from his nights work at the city ice plant. The child's home was only two doors from the railroad track and he was playing along the right-of-way.

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Notes from Thursa (RCHS Volunteer) about the Ross family. 

1920 Census the family gave the following answers: 

    Ivan was about 34 years old, India was about 31 years old, Esma was about 6 years old, and Kenneth was about 4 years old. Their address was listed as 323 Union Street, Winchester and they rented the home. Ivan was a laborer at an automobile factory. 

This was about a year before little Kenneth died tragically and his mother ran to find him. 

1940 Census the family gave the following answers: 

    Ivan was about 44 years old, India was about 41 years old, Esma was about 17 years old. Their address was listed as 323 Union Street, Winchester and they owned the home. Ivan was a city police officer. 

Ivan died in 1940. 

A later Census notes India worked as a telephone operator. She passed away when she was 88 years old. 

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Would you like a book to learn more about local history? 

Randolph County, Indiana 1818-1990

Commonly referred to as "The Red History Book"

Compiled by the Randolph County Historical Society, 1991, Second reprint 2003.

To obtain your own copy of "The Red History Book" stop in at The RCHS Museum Shop. 

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