Patterson Cemetery District, Stanislaus County, CA 

Submitted by Gale Stroud and Burta Herger 26 Aug 2007

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Vogel Joe 400809 p1
Farm Hand Killed by Train; Joe Vogel Meets Death in Unexplained Manner; Joe Vogel, 64, employed as a ranch worker
in this section for a number of years past, was found dead along the Southern Pacific right of way yesterday morning
about 15 feet north of the Almond Avenue crossing. He had evidently been struck by a passing train, but how or when
had not been determined at this writing.  His skull was badly crushed and the body was laying at an angle to the track
with the feet on the end of the ties. The body was found about 9 a. m. and from its condition, an estimate was made that
he might have been struck by the northbound Owl, but that was only surmise.  Vogel had been employed as a milker on
the Joe Regli ranch for the past five years or so, but had been working elsewhere the day previous to his death. Just how
Vogel reached the scene of the mishap is undetermined but he was reported to have been a very heavy drinker and
authorities were inclined to favor a theory that he had walked out to the crossing and had gone to sleep on the right of
way. Identification was made by Tony Fernandes, following a first supposition that the dead man might have fallen from
a passing freight train.  Officers Carl Busengdal and C. W. Kirk and Deputy Sheriff Stanton Briggs aided in the
investigation.


Vogel Joe 400816 p1
Vogel Death Not Finally Cleared Up; While the death of Joe Vogel, local farm hand whose body was found alongside the
S. P. track at the Almond Avenue crossing Thursday morning of last week, was probably accident or suicide,
circumstances and details of the mishap have not been cleared up, nor does it seem likely they will be. Believed to have
been struck by a passing freight, the puzzling feature of the case was that there was but one blow, on the back of the skull,
and the body was too close to the tracks and showed no signs of having been hurled any distance to fit into the ordinary
train mishap circumstances. In fact, Chief Special Agent O'Connor of the Southern Pacific detective force flatly declared
it was impossible that the body could have been struck and landed as it did, with no more evidence of injuries.  The feet
were on the ties, with the body at a 45 degree angle to the south indicating that southbound train had hit him. Other
theories advanced the possibility of a hit-run accident on the highway with the body carried to the spot where it was
found, to make it appear a train had struck him.  But there was no evidence of a crash on the highway and here again, a
blow from a car would have also caused more injury than the single place on the skull, and the clothing would have
shown more evidence of the mishap. Possibility of foul play, with the body carried to the spot where it was found, is also
discounted by the force of the blow, which was too crushing for any ordinary weapon in the hands of another to inflict,
and by the lack of motive, as he had little money, and that was found on the body. Constable C. W. Kirk tends to a
suicide theory, following the story of Joaquin Azevedo that he had given Vogel a ride into town the previous day and that
he had said he was feeling bad and was discouraged, at that time.  Vogel was also known to drink considerably. Vogel
had been visiting at the Bizzonelli ranch in that section the evening before but had not stayed late.  But evidence
indicated that he had been hit by a southbound freight, if he was hit by a train, which went through here about 2:30 that
morning, a  "hot shot," which travels at high speed between the Bay and Fresno.  So the most tenable theory is that he
was walking along the right of way and either deliberately stepped, or else stumbled into the corner of a speeding box car.
Of short stature, he would have been struck at about the height where the blow registered. But that still does not explain
the position of the body nor the single injury, as a blow from a speeding car would have hurled him far afield. No Inquest
No inquest was held, Coroner J. K. Ransom dropping, the matter after a cursory investigation.  No relatives were found
and the deceased was interned in Del Puerto Cemetery Friday, with graveside services by Rev. Joseph Porto,