Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Leach, William E. May 21, 1919
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Marilyn Ransom mlnransom@chartermi.net May 7, 2010, 8:03 pm

The Belding Banner, Wednesday, May 21, 1919
Headline:  Man’s Skull is Fractured When Pump Pipe Slips

An accident which happened Tuesday morning at about ten o’clock on the farm 
owned by Fred Boyer a mile east of the city caused the death of William E. 
Leach, age 60 years, a retired Orleans township farmer, at the city hospital 
at 7 o’clock this morning, nearly 22 hours after the time he received his 
injury during which time he never regained consciousness.

Mr. Leach, together with Fred Boyer, repairman at Smith & Whitney shoe store, 
owner of the farm and Mertin Smith, had driven out to the farm for the purpose 
of raising a pump in a well which had been bothering of late and had the work 
well under way and was laughing and joking with Mr. Smith about falling in the 
well head first when the accident took place.  Mr. Boyer was working on one 
side of the well, using a piece of iron pipe for a prying lever with a chain 
attached to the end and Mr. Leach was working on the opposite side with a 
similar device.  Mr. Boyer would raise the pipe up while Mr. Leach was getting 
his lever and chain set for a new hold and in this way had the pipe raised a 
distance of several feet.  Neither one of the men who were with him seem to 
know just how the accident occurred but it must be that Mr. Boyer’s chain 
slipped and allowed the pipe to go down with full force until the chain on the 
end of Mr. Leach’s lever struck a joint in the pipe.  This would be the only 
conceivable way in which the lever could be swung upward with sufficient force 
to inflict the injury which it did.  When the lever flew upward it went right 
on over and brushed Mr. Boyer’s hat off and scraped the side of his face.

The men gave immediate attention to Mr. Leach and Dr. Stanton was on the scene 
not more than ten minutes later and the injured man was taken to the local 
hospital where Drs. Bower, of Greenville and Dr. R. R. Smith, of Grand Rapids 
attended him.  No hopes were held out for him from the first as the blow had 
been of such force that the entire side of his face had been crushed and the 
skull fractured so that there was no hopes of his recovering.  

Mr. Leach had taken the place of another man who had planned on going out and 
helping on the job but who later on decided to go to Grand Rapids.  It was in 
his usual light hearted way that he jokingly went to lend a helping hand.  He 
died just as he had lived—a good fellow thru and thru and with his passing his 
legion of friends will mourn the loss of a good and honest man—a friend in 
need and a friend all the time.

Mr. Leach for many years was engaged in farming south and east of the city, 
but about six weeks ago sold his farm and took up his residence as a retired 
farmer, and to take things easy for a few years, in a house where he himself 
and wife were comfortably settled at the corner of Bridge and Washington 
streets.  Tuesday morning he left home to go down town and Mrs. Leach knew 
nothing of his injury until appraised that he was at the hospital.

He is survived by his widow and three sons, Ernest, of the Brink neighborhood; 
Vern, of Smyrna and Frank of Grand Rapids.

Funeral at the Baptist church, Friday afternoon at two o’clock, Rev. W. A. 
Biss officiating and burial will be made in River ridge cemetery.


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