Abraham Churcher (1896)

CHURCHER

Posted By: Pat Hochstetler (email)
Date: 5/18/2008 at 08:28:45

Winterset Reporter – July 9, 1896
Pg 4

Earlham

Sunday noon an old man called at one of the houses near the east part of town and asked for something to eat, and on Monday the section men found him under a tree about three-quarters of a mile east of town dead. A. Haskett, justice of the peace, took charge of the body as coroner, and upon examination it was found that the fingers on one hand were mashed and his skull was fractured, supposed to have been struck by an engine or car. A passport showing him to be a native of Switzerland, and a slip of paper to the Amana Society to give him work as he was worthy, was all that could be found on him to identify him.

Winterset Madisonian – July 10, 1896
Pg 1

From Earlham.

Monday morning while the section men were at work about a mile east of town, they found the dead body of a man lying near the railroad fence. Coroner Haskett, to whom the news of the discovery had been communicated, immediately had the body brought to town and a thorough investigation instituted. The body proved to be that of a man perhaps forty-five years of age, a German by birth, he having transport papers on his person, the name of Abraham Churcher and dated in August, 1893, together with $8.70 in money. From all appearances he had been struck by a passing train, and in the last throes of death had climbed up the embankment some fifty feet from the track and expired. A large bruise on the left breast and his hand slightly lacerated were all the injuries to be found. Death is guessed to have resulted from contusion of the brain. The body was interred in the Earlham cemetery (rest is unreadable)