Walter E Wright was born 17 March 1888. Wright married Lillian Brown on 3 Mar 1903. He died in a train accident on 17 December 1905 and was buried in Fernwood Cemetery / Section 25 / Lot 1110 / Grave 12.
Records indicate his wife Lillian had a child, Erma Wright, after his death. Erma is listed on the 1910 Census living with her grandparents, Samual A and Alice Brown. This would explain the ‘Father’ listed on his tombstone.
Evansville courier and Press December 19, 1905:
Trying to save 65 cents, the railroad fare from Henderson to Evansville, cost Walter Wright his life
Sunday night. He was found lying dead along the L. & N. track early Monday morning and it is supposed was killed while trying to beat his way on a freight train.
Wright was employed in the Reits dimension mill in this city. His father-in-law, S. A. Brown, worked in the mill with him and both men had their home in Henderson Ky, It was their custom to go to Henderson Saturday night and return to Evansville Sunday night, ready to resume their work early Monday morning. spending the week here and Sunday with their families in Henderson.
Sunday night Brown saw Wright at the Henderson depor The older man advised his son-in-law to.get a ticket and board the train for Evansville with him. Wright told Brown to go on, that he would meet him in Evansville all right and that was the last seen of Wright alive, as far as known.
Monday morning about 5:30 o’clock while Peter Happe was waiking along the L & N. track some 300 yards below the station at Vaughn’s, he found the body of a young man lying alongside the track but outside of the rails.
Calling his brother, Joseph Aappe, and a neighbor, Charley Rief, the three men removed the body from the railroad track and notified the coroner.
The body was cold when discovered, so Wright must have been dead some time. Probably he was killed before mildnight. Coroner Walling took charge of the remains and had them taken to Smith’s morgue. A pay envelope with Walter Wright on it gave the coroner his name, but did not help in locating the man.
Brown, the father-in-law, was alarmed when Wright did not come in during the night and did not show up for work at the mill. He feared something had happened and notifled his employer. Mr. Reitz heard of a man’s
body being found along the track and telephoned the coroner a description of the missing man, and in that way the body was identified. A purse containing $10 was found in his pocket and the ladies size watch he carried was still running.
The coroner found death was caused by a deep fracture of the alull on the left side, where he had either fallen with great force from the train or had been struck by it. His right arm was ground off at the wrist but otherwise he was uninjured. Wright was 23 years old and as far as known has a wife but no children.
The remains will be taken to Henderson for Interment.
References:
Evansville courier and Press December 19, 1905
Evansville Journal December 18, 1905
