Sarah Catherine (Smay) Mackey (1846-1907)

SMAY, MACKEY, LOCKWOOD, HAGUE, PICHT, MILLER

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 5/10/2017 at 19:56:05

From Nevada Representative September 23, 1907

A strange fatality has attended the operation of the Chicago & Northwestern Iowa division during the past week, six persons having been killed within that time. Three were old railroaders. The sixth fatality reported was the killing of Mrs. Sarah Mackey at Nevada, this morning.

On the same page:

OBITUARY

MRS. MACKEY KILLED.

Is Ground to Pieces by Train She Was to Take.

Mrs. Sarah Mackey was killed at the Northwestern depot here about half past four o'clock this morning as she was about to take the early train for South Dakota to visit her daughter, Mrs. Fred Lockwood. The illness of Mrs. Lockwood and later the birth of a grandson were the occasion of Mrs. Mackey's proposed trip; and as she had several times made the trip before, she insisted that it was unnecessary for any of the men of family to accompany her to the train, and so went down to the depot alone. She arrived there all right, however, and as the train was an hour late, the operator called her into the ticket office, where it was warm. She thus waited comfortably until the train was sighted, when they came out onto the platform together the operator carrying her grip. But this train stops only on signal and owing to a fog that had settled down the operator had not seen the headlight as soon as usual, and doubtless his signals were similarly obscure to the engineer. So the train came in fast, and when they reached the platform there was not time to cross over safely to the south side platform, from which west bound trains are boarded. It was, however, necessary for him to cross over for some reason, and he did so, telling her not to try to cross But she attempted to follow, and stumbled and fell in front of the pilot, which was upon her in an instant. She was ground to pieces and when the train had stopped and backed up, the fragments were gathered up in blanket from a sleeping car.

The death of Mrs. Mackey under such circumstances is a very severe shock to the community and especially so to her immediate friends and relatives. There is no apparent disposition to attach any blame any where. She was a woman of sixty years, vigorous and independent, and accustomed to traveling.

She was actually experiencing courteous attention from the railroad employee on duty at the station; but there was an emergency and a misunderstanding, and it was all over in a twinkling.

Sarah Catherine Smay was born near Indianapolis, Indiana, December 31, 1846, and died as stated at Nevada, Iowa, September 23, 1907, aged 60 years, 8 months, and 23 days. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Absalom Smay, and with the rest of her father's family she came from Indiana to Story county in 1859, the family settling in Richland township at Johnson's Grove. There she grew up and was married in the winter of 1866 to David H. Mackey. She and her husband continued to reside in the same neighborhood until February, 1894, when they moved to Nevada, where Mr. Mackey died June 30, 1894. Since then she has continued to live in Nevada, occupying the family homestead until the death of her father after which event she made her home with her widowed mother, and the two occupied the Smay homestead in this city.

Mrs. Mackey is survived by her mother, Mrs. Absalom Smay; her only brother, Wm. Smay also of this city, and her only sister, Mrs. Alonzo Hague of Alliance, Nebraska; and by all of her six children: Ira J. and Chas. A. of Nevada; Mr. Anthony Picht, of Johnson's Grove; Mrs. George Miller, of Larned, Kansas; Will, of Mitchell, South Dakota, and Mrs. Fred F. Lockwood, of Wessington Springs, South Dakota; and also by about ten grandchildren. She was in every was a most worthy woman, filling capably her station in the world and having an interest in every good cause and she was long an active and faithful member of the Lutheran church.

Her funeral will be held at ten o'clock Wednesday forenoon, at the Lutheran church, and will be conducted by her former pastor, Rev. A. H. Shrader, now of Kansas City.