Greer County, OK - Deaths: Thacker Burden, 1924
26 Oct 2007
Submitted by: delma25@pldi.net (Delma Tindell) 

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BURDEN, THACKER
(27 Apr 1924, Elk City Newspaper, Elk City, Beckham Co, OK): (Reprinted
from Granite, Greer Co, newspaper):
YOUNG FARMER'S HEAD SPLIT OPEN BY A CIRCULAR SAW.
Thacker Burden, prominent young farmer living across the river south of
town, was instantly killed Saturday afternoon in a most peculiar manner.
The young man was sawing wood with a circular saw driven by a gasoline
engine.  He was just in the act of sawing the last stick of wood on hand
when, in some manner, he fell on the saw, which split his head completely
open, also cutting one arm off at the shoulder.
Mr. Thacker was being assisted in the work by a brother, who was within
two feet of him at the time of the accident, also by a negro man, who was
less than ten feet away.
Both had their backs turned at the moment of the tragedy, and neither can
tell just how it happened.
The brother, Nunn Burden, says that he heard a peculiar noise from the
saw, and whirled just in time to see the severed arm fall from the body as
it rolled away from the saw.
Death was instantaneous, there being no movement of the body after the
horrified fellow workmen had lifted it from the saw frame and laid in
(sic) on the ground.
Thacker Burden was the youngest of the two sons of Uncle Tom Burden, one
of Greer county's oldest and best known citizens.  The young man also was
well known and highly respected by all who knew him.
The dead man was only about 26 years of age, and leaves a widow and four
small children, the oldest of whom is only six years of age.  Mrs. Burden
was formerly Miss Clemmie Dennis, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. B. O. Dennis,
who lived for several years just south of Granite in the Elm river bottom.
The mutilated body was taken to Mangum, where an experienced undertaker
did all he could to make it presentable before burial, which took place at
the Blair cemetery Tuesday in the presence of a large number of sorrowing
friends and relatives.
The terrible accident has cast a gloom over the entire south part of the
county, where the young man has lived all of his life, and the heartfelt
sympathy of all goes out to the bereaved family.