Beckham County, OK - Deaths: William Voyles, 1909 Wednesday, 11 February 2009 Submitted by: delma25@pldi.net (Delma Tindell) ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/copyright.htm ************************************************ VOYLES, WILLIAM (5 Aug 1909, Thursday, Beckham County Democrat, Erick, Beckham Co, OK): On last Saturday morning as W. O. Moore, Robert Holcomb and Ralph Emanuel were coming down town they discovered the body of a man lying dead upon the railroad tracks about 150 yards west of the depot here. They at once spread the news and steps were taken to care for the body and to determine if possible who the unfortunate man was. There was nothing on the body that would help to identify the man except a mark on the clothing showing they had been bought at the Dixie Store in Hobart, Okla., and the address of Denny Martin, Sayre, Okla., on a slip of paper, as frequently occurs. Mr. Martin was communicated with and remembered giving his address to a young man the day before but did not know his name. On the body was also found $3.85 in money, a ticket from Clinton to Erick, punched to show that he had ridden to Sayre and a few other minor articles. It was evident that the man had come to Sayre on the evening train that stops there and had then attempted to come here on No. 91, which did not stop here but went through town very fast about 10 o'clock Friday night. Just how the accident occurred will probably never be known. The body was removed to the Speed building when it was prepared for burial and viewed by many in an effort to identify it. S. J. Etter remembered having sold him a bill of goods some two months ago and thought his name was Will Voyles and his father lived at Hobart. Telephone communication proved so. That his son was working for a surveying party and had come to Erick to look after a claim he had filed on near Emma about six months ago. Mr. J. P. Voyles, father of the unfortunate man, came to Granite and drove here arriving about 3 o'clock Sunday morning and at once identified the remains as his son. The young man was about 22 years old. The remains were shipped to Elk City and buried at Port about 15 miles south of Elk City (Washita County). An inquest had been held in the meantime by Justice C. L. Rutherford, acting coroner, and the jury returned a verdict in accordance with the facts as stated here. (5 Aug 1909, Elk City Democrat, Elk City, Beckham Co, OK): Wm. Voyles Accidently Killed at Erick. Last Friday night Wm. Voyles, a step-brother of Forrest Banks, was killed at Erick in some manner by a freight train. The body was shipped to Elk Sunday night and was taken to Port for burial by the side of his mother. He was about 22 years of age. He was on his way to his farm near Erick. It is not known just how he was thrown from the train. --------------------------------------------------------- Return to Beckham County Archives: http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/ok/beckham/beckham.htm