In 1914, a man walking along the Omaha railroad tracks near Sioux Falls made a gruesome discovery.
M. Petit was on his way into the city when he found part of a man’s hand lying near the tracks by the Penn Oil Company plant. There were three fingers and a portion of flesh, but no victim nearby and no immediate explanation for what had happened.
Officials soon traced the injured man to Levi Sogn of Riverside. According to the report, Sogn had stepped aside to let a passenger train pass when he slipped or staggered, falling so that his hand landed on the rail. Badly injured, he somehow got up and made his way home before being taken to a local hospital, where doctors amputated what remained of the hand.
Mangled Hand Found
SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota. — As M. Petit was coming to the city, he was walking along the Omaha track near the plant of the Penn Oil Company when he discovered a portion of a man’s hand, consisting of three fingers and some of the fleshy part.
Mr. Petit realized that an accident had taken place and made an investigation, but could find nothing else which could be connected with the accident. He came to town and reported his find to Coroner Miller and other officials, who started an investigation. It was ascertained that the hand had belonged to Levi Sogn who lives in Riverside and who had been known to be in town.
It seems that Sogn started to go home and being overtaken by the passenger stepped from the track to let the train pass. He slipped or staggered and fell in such a manner that his hand fell on the rail with the result that he lost a good share of it.
The man got up and went to his home but was returned to a local hospital where it was found necessary to amputate the remainder of his hand.
Source: The Lemmon Herald. Lemmon, Perkins County, S.D. October 16, 1914.
