Lafayette Cousino (1887 - 1912)

Born 16 Jul 1887 in La Salle, Monroe, Michigan, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Louise G. (Cousino) Burhop — married 18 May 1909 in Newport, Monroe, Michigan

Died 31 Jul 1912 at age 25 in Toledo, Lucas, Ohio, United States

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Biography

From http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/k/e/i/Janet-L-Keisler/GENE1-0081.html:

Notes for RUDOLPH COUSINO: THE COUSINO AUTO-TRAIN TRADEGY OF 1912 The Gideon Cousino Family auto-train accident, July 28, 1912, resulting in the death of eight persons shocked not only the community of Erie, but made headlines in many newspapers. Multiple traffic accident fatalities are commonplace in our times. Some of them are quite as horrifying as the Cousino tradegy. The Cousino tradegy is best remembered because it was so unusual. There were relatively few automobiles in 1912. This accident bordered on the bizarre, because the poplace was totally unaccustomed to train car collisions. Mr Gideon Cousino, a prominent farmer of 3855 Kelly Rd., LaSalle, was the proud owner of a recently purchased Flanders automobile. Mr. Cousino or one of his married sons, Lafayette, enjoyed the novelty of driving the family to church on Sunday mornings and taking joy rides in the afternoon. On the beautiful Sunday afternoon of July 28, 1912, the car driven by Lafayette Cousino accompanied by his brother Rudolph, his wife and four children, Miss Eva Navarre, a visitor, a Miss Lottie Jaeck, an employee in the Cousino household, went for a leisurely drive about the countryside. Later in the afternoon the touring car with its carefree cargo of nine was seen returning at the Stateline on the dusty Dixie Turnpike. After proceeding northward a short distance, the car turned east on what is now Lotus Drive. A half a mile ahead lay two railroads, the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern, and the Michigan Central, presently the south and northbound track of the Penn- Central. After safely crossing the first tracks the car was struck broadside by a fast southbound Michigan Central passenger train. The following headline and graphic news report are from the Monroe Democrat, Monday, July 29, 1912.

MICHIGAN CENTRAL TRAIN HITS MACHINE OF GIDEON COUSINO NEAR ALEXIS "Six persons were killed and two fatally injured Sunday afternoon at 4:00 o'clock just north of Alexis, Michigan, when a Michigan Central train due in Toledo at 4:20 o'clock struck an automobile containing nine people. Two women, a man and three boys were killed outright. Their bodies were horribly mutilated. The automobile belonged to the Cousino family of LaSalle, Michigan. Both persons at the hospital are unconscious, but the name of Lafayette Cousino appeared on a letter in the injured man's pocket. (Lafayette Cousino died shortly after this news item.) A baby, 3 years old, was the only occupant of the machine that escaped. The accident happened at a grade crossing. The automobile, an E.M.F. was struck directly in the center. It was demolished and the bodies of the victims were strewn along the right-of-way for a distance of 100 feet." The baby who escaped was Marie, (who is now Mrs. Thomas Keegan, Monroe, Michigan ) daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Rudolph Cousino, victims in the crash.

The Evening Post Toledo, Ohio July 29, 1912 SIX DIED WHEN TRAIN CRASHES INTO CAR Lives Are Blotted Out As Passenger Hits Machine Containing Nine GRADE CROSSING ACCIDENT View Of Tracks Is Obstructed By Cornfield and Occuptans Of Car Did Not See Train Until It Was Too Late Toledo, O., July 29 - Six people are killed and two fatally injured when a Lake Shore and Michigan South train due in Toledo at 4:20 p.m. struct an automobile containing nine people, 12 miles north of here. Two women, one man and three boys were killed outright. Their bodies were horribly mangled. THE DEAD Rudolph Cousino, 30, farmer, Lasalle, Mich. Eva Navarro, 20, daughter of James Navarro, La Pleasant, Mich. Mrs Lafayette Cousino, 30, LaSalle. The 12 and 6 year old sons and the 4 year old daughter of Rudolph Cousino. THE INJURED Lafayette Cousino, 28, farmer, LaSalle; taken to the hospital; will die. Mrs. Rudolph Cousino, taken to the hospital; will die. Opal Cousino, the 2 year old daughter of Lafayette Cousino; taken to hospital; injuries not serious. The accident happened on a grade crossing. The view of the railroad tracks was obstructed by a corn field and the occuptants of the machine did not see the train, seemingly, until they were directly on the track and it was then too late. Bodies Are Mangled The automobile was struct directly in the center. It was demolished and the bodies of the victims were strewn along the right of way for a 100 feet. The engineer checked his train as soon as possible and the victims were placed in the baggage car. The bloody and mangled bodies in the car presented a gruesome sight and many of the passengers on the train who assisted in the rescue were overcome. All of the passengers in the automobile, with the exception of the smallest child, were unconscious when picked up by the passengers and train crew. Some of them breathed their last as lifted into the bagge car. Before the train arrived here there were but three living persons in the baggage car. The six dead were left in the car until Coroner C. J. Henseler could review the remains. The injured were taken to the hospital. Physicians state the injured man and woman can not live. '

Sources

• Birth: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NQ8N-7TB

• 1900 Census: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MS9X-NFL

• Marriage: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/N3KS-DTL

• Death: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X86W-PZC