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Grand Rapids Daily Eagle
Wednesday, 3 August, 1859

         Man Buried Alive
         
         We learn of a sad casualty which happened yesterday
       (Aug 2) in the town of Walker, some three or four miles
       from the city, resulting in the death of a young man
       named CHARLES FITCH. It sppears that he was engaged in
       digging a well on his father's premises. After digging
       down a few feet through gravel and "hard pan" a vein of
       sand was struck, through which the well was sunk some
       ten or twelve feet more without curbing, when they
       again came to hard earth and gravel. It was in this, 
       nearly 20 feet below the surface that young FITCH was
       at work some time in the afternoon yesterday when the
       sand stratum suddenly "caved" in crushing and burying
       the unfortunate young man beneath it. The neighbors
       instantly rallied and vigorously set to work to rescue
       him, and it proved no easy task, the sand having caved
       and filled the well, to the upper crust of hard earth.
       We are informed that they reached him and uncovered
       his head at about 10 o'clock this evening, when he was
       found to be still alive. The earth caved again, and
       again he was buried from sight, and it was not till
       this morning that they succeeded in rescuing his body,
       life having fled. 
       
         The affliction to his agonized parents is a sad one
       and was fearfully hightened by the knowledge of his
       gradual and torturing death. He was about 19 years of
       age.
       
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