Obituary: Portage County, Wisconsin: Horace O. WARNER

Gazette (Stevens Point, Wisconsin) 
Feb. 3, 1909 (Wed) 

Was Ground to Pieces Engineer Horace O. Warner, of This City, 
Meets with Instant Death in Collision at South Oshkosh 

There was a bad wreck on the Central at South Oshkosh at 3 o'clock last Wednesday afternoon, 
when Horace O. Warner, a young engineer whose home has been in Stevens Point most of his life, 
was instantly killed, his body being cut and ground into innumerable pieces. E. Blaney, engineer 
on the train that collided with the one Mr. Warner was running, had the bone in his left ankle 
and has since been confined to a hospital at Fond du Lac. The wreck occurred on a curve about 
500 feet north of the Fox river bridge. Warner had charge of freight engine No. 160, while Blaney's 
engine was No. 97. The latter engine was backing up with its tender ahead, when Warner's engine 
crashed into it, throwing the tender off the track, and the engine upon which Mr. Warner was 
riding turned over on its side, and he was unable to escape, falling beneath it, and, as before 
said, was ground to pieces. 

M.H. Lied and G.W. Brown were firing on the engine that Mr. Warner was running, but both jumped 
just in time and thus escaped. They supposed that the engineer had done likewise, as when they 
last saw him he was on the outside of his engine, apparently about to leap to the ground, but did 
not act quickly enough and the result was as above stated. 

A brother-in-law of the unfortunate young man, John Gaetz, who resides at 621 Water street, in this 
city, and with whom Mr. Warner had made his home when here, left on the early morning train Thursday, 
accompanied by H.D. Boston, and returned that evening with the remains. 

Horace O. Warner was born in this city, June 23, 1881, being 27 years of age, and was the only son 
of Horace O. Warner, who died shortly before his son's birth. His mother's name was Catherine Page 
and a few years after the death of her husband she married Horace A. Warner, who was a distant 
relative of her first husband. Some years later the second husband died and Mrs. Warner passed away 
in this city six years ago last May. The young man had been employed by the Wisconsin central since 
he was about 17 years of age, starting in as call boy, and when be was old enough to secure a 
position as fireman on the road, did so and had been in charge of an engine for about six years. 
Most of this time he had made his headquarters at N. Fond du Lac, coming here occasionally for a 
visit with his only sister, and but a week before his death was in Stevens Point to attend the 
funeral of his great aunt, Mrs. D.C. Brown. 

Besides his sister, he leaves a half-brother, Amassa Warner, who is employed at the paper mills. He 
was to have been married in a short time to Miss Anna Weisen, of Fond du Lac, and to her, as well as 
the relatives left to mourn, his untimely death comes as a sad and severe blow. 

The funeral took place from the Baptist church in this city at 10:30 o'clock Saturday morning, Rev. 
James Blake officiating, after which the remains were taken to McDill for interment beside his parents. 
Hymns were sung at the church by Miss Kate Ball, accompanied by Mrs. James Blake. 

Capt. Sneller with 17 members of the Co. I, First Wis. National Guard, of Neenah, to which the deceased 
belonged, attended the funeral, the pall-bearers being selected from their number, and the remains were 
laid at rest with military honors. 

Among the relatives who attended from outside were his aunt, Mrs. J.J. Kingsbury, and cousin, A.J. 
Kingsbury, of Antigo; his cousins, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Tobie and Orren Penney of Amherst, and Mrs. E.J. 
Carley, of Arnott. Other intimate friends present were Mr. and Mrs.Van Dyke and Miss Doerschner of 
Appleton, Mr. and Mrs. C. Warren, Misses Julia and Anna Wiesen, Conductor O'Connell, Fireman McCullough, 
Fireman Brown and Brakeman Orphal of Fond du Lac. There were many beautiful floral tributes.






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Submitted by Kathy Grace, <gendiva@charter.net> June 2004    

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