Keith, Louis F 1875-1903

KEITH

Posted By: Geo Clinton (email)
Date: 5/5/2016 at 08:27:57

Storm Lake Buena Vista Vidette - Jan 1, 1904 - L.A. Keith, residing in the east part of this city, received a message Christmas day conveying to him the news of the death of his eldest son, Louis F, which occurred about 1:30 on Christmas morning while the young man with his companion, Miss Reed, were driving home from a Christmas party at Lorimor.

The Great Western railroad runs north and south through Lorimor and the depot on the west side of the track shuts off from view trains coming from the south. Mr Keith for the past two years has been working for Mr J.H. Hoffman, who lives on a large farm about 4 and 1/2 miles southeast of Lorimor and in company with Miss Reed, who is a daughter of a farmer living just across the road from Mr Hoffman, had started home from the party and were driving eastward across the tracks with a buggy when the train struck them which goes through Lorimor at about 60 miles per hour.

The young man was thrown over 150 feet. His head was badly crushed and a piece of timber seems to have completely severed the jugular vein. Several bones were fractured. Death was instantaneous. Miss Reed was also thrown a great distance and has been unconscious since the accident and her recovery is hardly looked for.

A strange thing about the accident is that neither the engineer nor fireman knew that they caused an accident and as a result the bodies of the two victims of the disaster were not discovered until after 8 o'clock that morning.

At the coroners inquest the testimony from the engineer and fireman was given and more that a half dozen residents of Lorimor also testified that they heard the fast mail go through the town but did not hear the bell ring or the whistle blow.

Mr Keith, the father of the young man, left over the Milwaukee Friday arriving at Lorimor early Saturday morning and was present at the inquest over the body of his son. The coroners jury withheld its verdict but it is thought that the jury will censure the railroad company severely and hold it responsible for the accident.

Mr Keith left Lorimor early Monday morning with the remains of his son, arriving here on the afternoon of the same day. Funeral service were held Wednesday afternoon at the house and the body was conveyed to the First Baptist church.

The young man while a resident of Storm Lake, it was where he grew to manhood, always had a reputation for right living. Mr and Mrs Hoffman with whom he has lived the past two years told the father of the young man that they looked upon him as a parent would upon a son and that they had become greatly attached to him.