Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Foreman, Will 1903 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Sandy Heintzelman sheintz@iserv.net February 14, 2010, 1:10 pm Belding Banner, 11 & 18 Jun 1903 Met Violent Death On Pere Marquette Tracks South of City. Will Foreman Ends His Life Temporarily Insane – Was on His Way to Smyrna – Remains Brought Here Inquest Held. Will Foreman met his death Saturday evening about two miles south of this city while lying on the railroad track. It was near the place known as the clay banks and when the train which is due here at 6:40 p.m. came around the curve the engineer discovered an object lying across the track and immediately reversed his engine and put on brakes but it was impossible to stop the train and the body was very badly crushed and mangled as the engine and several cars passed over it. The remains were tenderly lifted into the baggage car and brought to this city and removed to the undertaking rooms of Wilson and Friedly where they were identified as those of Will Foreman and his parents Mr. and Mrs. H. S. Foreman living about three miles south of the city were notified. The unfortunate young man was in the city during the afternoon and it is supposed left here about half past five o’clock to go to Smyrna. The section men returning home from their work met him a few minutes before the accident and he was then headed toward that place. Mr. Foreman thinks the act was premeditated as on several occasions he had told him that he would end his troubles some of these days. He would get up from his bed at night and wander out of the house giving his parents much concern and Mr. Foreman would obliged to go out after him and induce him to return. Funeral services were held at the home Sunday afternoon Rev. A. O. Carman pastor of the M.E. Church officiated. The following Obituary was read: Will Foreman son of H. S. and Eliza Foreman was born Oct. 15th 1866 in the township of Orleans Ionia Co. Michigan where he lived till 1871 when he removed with his parents to the township of Otisco Ionia Co. Michigan, which has been his home. He was killed by the 6:40 p.m. train at the high banks between Smyrna and Belding June 6, 1903. Besides his parents he leaves two sisters to mourn his untimely death Mrs. Mary Smith of Sylvester and Mrs. Nellie Phillips of Otisco Michigan. Since the above was put in type developments of a sensational nature have arisen and H. S. Forman the father believes his son was shot by some enemy and has asked that the body be exhumed for investigation, he conducted the examination before the coroner’s jury yesterday and asked that such action be taken. It developed that the deceased loved Mrs. Albert Worden desperately and had stated that as soon as she had a divorce they would go away together. The Inquest Justice Geo. W. Moulton was called immediately after the body was brought here and an inquest held, the hearing being adjourned until Wednesday. Chas. M. Wise, Wilson Orser, Ed. Driese, A.F. Morgan, Fred Stall and H. D. Minier were the jurors and more than a dozen witnesses were called to testify. Developments of a somewhat sensational nature were brought tending to show that he might have received his death would before the engine struck him. Engineer Campbell swore he saw the body lying on the track when within 200 feet of it with his feet toward the engine lying down with head on his arms and hat on back of his head, the pilot threw him to the west side of track, and wheels passed over his legs. Conductor Stickney saw him in a minute and a half after the accident and said the body was cold and thought he was dead before the train struck him. The brakesman also stated that the body was cold, that he had handled bodies for Undertaker Durfee of Grand Rapids for 8 years and considered the man dead before being struck by the engine. O.F. Webster swore that portions of the body was cold when he examined it and saw a wound in the head that might have been made with a bullet. Will Currie who identified the remains as those of Will Foreman in the baggage room said there was a wound between the eye and nose on the left side of the face which he did not think could be made by the engine of pilot. Undertakers Wilson & Friedly stated to the jury the conditions of the body when received by them and of the wounds upon it. S.D. Chickering was called and said he talked with him at about 4:30 p.m. and Will said that Mrs. Worden was intending to get a divorce from Albert and wanted his testimony, that Will was not intoxicated and seemed in good spirits. Other testimony was given regarding the question of his being intoxicated and that the would in his head might have been made with a bullet. Justice Moulton ordered that an adjournment be had until Friday for consultation with prosecuting attorney Clute, relative to having the remains exhumed for further investigation before the jury rendered a verdict. Sheriff Fales and deputy sheriff Crawford have been very active in running down any clue that would throw light on the mystery. ---- The body of Will Foreman was exhumed by Undertaker Ben Friedly, Tuesday morning in the Smyrna cemetery and in the presence of Sheriff E.E. Fales, deputy sheriff Geo. W. Crawford, Justice Geo. W. Moulton and six jurymen, Dr. J.E. Ferguson assisted by Dr. E.W. Litle held an autopsy which settled the question for all time to come that the deceased was not killed with a bullet before the train passed over him. Dr. Ferguson in a very skillful manner with the scalpel in hand exposed the skull its linings and intricate parts to full view and a rigid examination was made, several pieces of gravel or small stones were found one of which on first view from its appearance and similarity to a flattened bullet created quite a stir causing some to think the mystery had been solved, but a closer examination showed it to be a stone which with the others had been driven into the head by the fearful concussion when struck by the train. The verdict of the Jury was “that said Will Foreman came to his death in the township of Otisco while being on the track of the Pere Marquette railroad near the place commonly known as the clay banks, and that said Foreman was in a state of intoxication and from some cause unknown while lying on said track, was struck by engine No. 59 and through no fault of said company was killed and instantly died, and the Jurors do say that said Foreman in the manner aforesaid while intoxicated and by causes unknown came to his death and not otherwise.” [Transcriber's Note: There is a notation on the obituary card that he was buried in Smyrna Cemetery.] File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/ionia/obits/f/foreman2926nob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/mifiles/ File size: 7.1 Kb