Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2024
                           All Rights Reserved
                        USGenNet Data Repository

        Please read USGenNet Copyright Statement on this page:
                <http://www.us-data.org/fineprint.html>

Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott
for the USGenNet Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/
===========================================================================
Formatted by USGenNet Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott
All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded.
===========================================================================
Alma Record
Friday, 14 August 1885

         Death by the Rail
         
         Last Saturday evening as two little boys were
       returning from a fishing expedition they discovered
       a man lying in the ditch beside the railroad side
       track in the east part of town. They told the first
       person they met about their "find," but little 
       attention was paid to it for some time but finally
       some of the citizens went down to see about it. They
       were horrified to find the dead body of JEREMIAH
       McCARTHY, the trackmaster on the Lansing, Alma & Mt.
       Pleasant railroad, who had been in town for some
       time past waiting for the work of laying the iron
       to commence. The alarm was given at once and the
       remains were conveyed to the Engine House and an
       inquest called. This was held Sunday forenoon and
       the verdict rendered by the jury was to the effect
       that the deceased came to his death through injuries
       received while lying on the track in an intoxicated
       condition, and that no blame could justly be attached
       to the railroad officials. The facts as we have ob-
       tained them are as follows: MR. McCARTHY had been
       under the influence of liquor the greater part of
       the week and had several times been rescued from
       dangerous positions. On Saturday he had gone down
       by the sidetrack where some flat cars were stand-
       ing and had crawled under one of them to get in
       the shade. It is customary for the freight to back
       in on this track to let the 1:15 passenger train
       go by, and the supposition is that when the freight
       backed down the cars were thrown quickly together
       and the unfortunate man was caught and crushed by
       the bumpers. No one knows what agony he suffered
       during the long afternoon as it was concluded that
       he had been dead not more than half an hour when
       found. A brother in Marshall was telegraphed for
       and came on and took charge of the remains. He
       purchased a handsome casket and with some friends
       from St. Louis, accompanied the remains, Tuesday
       p.m., to their last resting place in the Catholic
       buring grounds at Seville. He seemed like an in-
       telligent, upright gentleman and enlisted the
       sympathy of all with whom he had any transaction.
       He said in conversation with a gentleman here,
       that as near as he could remember the deceased
       was between 42 and 45 years of age, and that until
       the last four years he never been in the habit of
       drinking. At that time he lost a favorite brother
       and since then had seemed to care very little 
       about himself. The deceased was a general favorite
       among his fellow workers and his sad death cast
       a shadow of gloom over the whole town. He leaves
       three brothers, one sister an aged mother to
       mourn his untimely and tragic death.
       
===============================================================================