Walter Robert Widger
WIDGER, SODEN, BURKHART, MONTGOMERY, BAKER
Posted By: Carrie Robertson (email)
Date: 1/16/2017 at 20:47:12
Thursday June 3, 1920 The Marion Weekly Sentinel
WALTER WIDGER KILLED IN RAILWAY WRECK SATUYDAY[SIC]
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FOMERLY MARION RESIDENT
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Broken Drawbar Thought to be Cause of Accident Near Newhall, Funeral Held Here
Walter Widger was killed in a freight wreck, which occurred Saturday noon on the Milwaukee railway near Newhall. His body was not found until Sunday morning. For hours many workers had been searching underneath the wrecked cars, expecting to find it there, but the body was finally discovered on top of a car. The skull and chest were very badly crushed, and in all probability he was thrown into the air and dropped back into the cars. The body was brought to the Pingrey undertaking parlors, and held there until the funeral was held.
A broken draw bar is thought to have been the cause of the wreck, which is the worst one the Milwaukee has had for some time. Railroad men who have viewed the piled up splintered cars said they never saw anything to equal it. Fourteen cars were piled up within a space about one hundred and twenty feet in length. Fresh and canned fruit made up most of the load. The engine did not leave the track and no one was injured to any extent.
Mr. Widger had been a freight conductor about eight years, but was acting as brakeman on this trip. He is a son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Widger, of this city and had spent most of his life here, altho he was born in Perry, and about two years ago his work made it necessary for him to again establish his home there. He was thirty-six years of age. In 1912 he was married to Mrs. Mae Soden Montgomery, who survives him, also a little son, Walter Robert, aged three and a half years, and a step-son Harvey Montgomery, aged 13 years, his parents, a brother, C.A. Widger, of Atkins, and two sisters, Mrs. Earl Baker of Alburnett, and Miss Verda, of Marion.
He was a member of the Order of Railway Conductors and of Marion Lodge No. 6, A.F. and A.M. The funeral services were held Wednesday afternoon at the Masonic Temple and were in charge of the lodge, assisted by Rev. W.L. Barth, of Cedar Rapids, and Rev. A.W. Higby, of the Christian church.
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