Barry, William d. 1898

BARRY, LEARY

Posted By: Volunteer Transcriber
Date: 2/18/2005 at 10:19:47

Death of Wm. Berry at La Junta, Col., Last Tuesday Afternoon

A telegram was received by Mrs. Geo. Leary, yesterday morning bringing the sad news of the death of her brother, Mr. Wm. Berry, at La Junta, Colorado, on Tuesday afternoon. The telegram merely stated that he had been killed in the Santa Fe Railroad yards at La Junta, but gave no further particulars. The body will be brought to Newton for burial, where Mr. Berry’s childhood and youth were spent. The funeral will probably be at the Catholic Church either Saturday or Sunday. Deceased is a son of Mr. and Mrs. James Berry of this city, both of them advanced in years, and their hearts are crushed and bleeding over the horrible death of their boy. His age is about thirty-four years, and he leaves a wife and two children. For the past fourteen years he has been employed as assistant yardmaster of the Santa Fe at La Junta.

The Newton Record, Thursday, December 22, 1898 Page 8, Column 3.

The remains of William Barry, accompanied by his brother, Mike Barry, and a friend, Geo. Rigg, arrived from La Junta, Col., Saturday morning and were taken to the home of his sister, Mrs. Geo. Leary, where the funeral services were held under the auspices of the K. P. Lodge, Sunday afternoon, and the interment made in the Catholic Cemetery.

The circumstances of the death of Mr. Barry are very sad. He was attending to his duties as assistant yardmaster of the Santa Fe road at La Junta, about 2 o’clock on Tuesday afternoon of last week, and in attempting to make a coupling between two cars, his foot slipped and he was caught between the drawbars, completely crushing and mangling his body, from which he died about three later. He retained consciousness to the last and did not seem to suffer much pain. He talked freely to his friends and to the parish priest from whom he received the last sad rites of the church.

Will was next to the youngest son of James and Bridget Barry of this city. He was born in Virginia but came to Newton when a small boy, leaving here about fifteen years ago for Colorado. He leaves a widow, two children, to mourn the loss of a good husband and father. They will return to Newton soon to make their home. Besides these he leaves his aged parents, who are nearly heartbroken over the untimely death of their son, also four brothers and one sister: David, James, Johnny and Mike Barry and Mrs. Geo. Leary. ~ The Newton Record December 22, 1898