Patterson and Grayson Obituaries 1915
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Berggren, Adolph
Death at Drury, Kansas,of Adolph Berggren; Adolph Berggren, who until a few months ago was a resident of Patterson, died on Thursday of last week, Nov. 11th at Drury, Kansas. According to information received here, his death occurred suddenly after he had been ill but a short time. The deceased was a native of Sweden, aged about 75 years. He had been married twice, and leaves eight children, two of whom were by his first wife. The second wife survives him. The children are Mrs. T. W. Coffin of Goodland, Kansas, Oscar, Harry and Helen of Drury Kansas, Mrs. Roy A. Smith of Drury Kansas, Titus and David of Patterson, and Mrs. Robert Shimmin of Patterson. Adolph Berggren first came to Patterson in April, 1912, and located on an 18-acre farm which he had purchased in the colony. There he built a handsome residence and made his home until January of this year when he returned to his farm near Drury. Besides the Patterson property and the Kansas farm, he owned 250 acres of land in Oregon, and his estate is estimated at from $47,000 to $50,000.
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Boch, Mary A
Dies From Shock In Auto Accident; Mary A. Boch, wife of Henry H. Boch, the well-known grain farmer of near Crows Landing, died about 11 o'clock last Sunday night as the result of an auto accident which occurred near the bridge across Del Puerto creek, just north of Patterson. But while her death was due to the accident, Mrs. Boch was physically uninjured by the car, which overturned and pinned her down, her death being caused merely by the nervous shock. Accompanied by her husband, her son Henry, her daughter Lena and a friend named William B. Hamilton, Mrs. Boch was returning in the auto from Stockton. The party crossed the Del Puerto creek bridge about 11 o'clock , and going down the grade which leads up to the bridge the machine for some unexplained reason suddenly skidded and went over the bank. The auto turned completely over, pinning Mr. and Mrs. Boch underneath, but throwing the others almost clear. Hamilton got to his feet first and assisted Henry and Lena to get out, and then the three tried to extricate Mr. and Mrs. Boch. Finding their efforts unavailing, Miss Lena and Hamilton went to the Associated Oil Station near by for help, and returned with several men. In the meantime Henry had managed to get his father out, having been assisted by H. H. Brookfield of Westley, who happened along in his Ford car. With additional help the overturned auto was then lifted and Mrs. Boch taken out, but she was dead when released. The body of Mrs. Boch was brought to Patterson for medical examination and later was taken to the undertaking parlor of Davis & Evans, where an inquest was held by Coroner Harry Wood Monday afternoon. The verdict of the coroner's jury was that the deceased came to her death by an attack of heart failure. The body was shipped to S (?) day for interment. Of the four who escaped from the wreck, Miss Lena was the only one who received any serious injuries. She got a bad cut under the left knee cap, which required several stitches. The others were merely scratched and bruised a little. Henry Boch, Jr., was at the wheel when the accident happened, but he has not been able to explain why the machine went over. The grade is a slight one, and the machine was traveling at a rate of about ten miles an hour. The deceased was the second wife of Mr. Boch, who has three children by his first wife, two boys and a girl.
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Cox, Will W Mrs
Death Monday Of Mrs. Will W. Cox; The many friends of Mrs. Will W. Cox of Westley were saddened this week by the news that she had passed away at 2 o'clock Monday morning at the Modesto Sanitarium. She had been at the sanitarium for two weeks, and while a number of her friends knew that she was ill, few were aware that her condition was serious, and her death came as a shock to most of them. Speaking of Mrs. Cox's death, the Modesto News says: "Mrs. Cox, youngest daughter of J. M. Finley of. Modesto, was born thirty-four years ago on the Finley ranch, six miles west of Modesto. She grew to young womanhood in this community, and is very well known here. After graduating from the Modesto high school, she attended the San Jose Normal, where she prepared herself for the teaching profession, which she followed successfully for several years at Crows Landing and at Modesto. She was a member of the Christian church at Modesto. and was a prominent worker in the Presbyterian church at Landing. The marriage of William W. Cox and Edna Finley took place nine years ago. To this union two children were born, Rebecca, aged 7 years, and Margaret, aged 5 years. Mr. and Mrs. Cox lived first near Patterson. Later they moved to their ranch, one-half mile west of Crows Landing, where they lived until less than a year ago, when they moved to another ranch two miles west of Westley, where they built them a substantial home on the large grain ranch. Mr. Cox is a prosperous rancher of the West Side, the son of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Cox, a pioneer family of that community, and well known throughout the county. Mrs. Cox was widely beloved for her amiable disposition, and her interest in things that count in community life. Her influence and the esteem and love in which she was held in her own family made the Cox home an ideal one. "Besides the husband and two daughters, Mrs. Cox leaves two brothers, Jesse M. Finley of Waterford, and Dr. J. H. Finley of Seattle, Oregon, and three sisters, Mrs. W. H. Frazine of the Waterford road, Mrs. J. W. Ross of Modesto, and Mrs. Walter Thompson, wife of City Clerk Thompson. The funeral services were held Wednesday afternoon, Rev. J. H. McCartney of the Christian church of Modesto officiating. assisted by Rev. A. S. Mason of Patterson, who is pastor of the Presbyterian church of Crows Landing. The pall bearers were F. S. Stanley, L. McAulay, George W. Fink and H. C. Tucker of Crows Landing, H. H. Hamilton of Westley and W. W. Giddings of Newman. Interment was in the Citizens' cemetery at Modesto.
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Germolus, Johann
Johann Germolus Dragged to Death; Dragged to death at the heels of a runaway team was the tragic fate of Johann Germolus, a farmer residing in the northern part of the Patterson colony. The fatal accident occurred about 5:40 o'clock Saturday afternoon, April 10th. Mr. Germolus had been raking hay in a field near his residence, and had started for the house when for some unknown reason the team became frightened and ran away, the rake colliding with a corner of the barn. The tongue was broken out when the rake struck the barn, and the horses then ran around the house and into the garden, where they were caught by a neighbor named Lopez, who had been working near and who hastened to the spot when he saw the horses running. A few minutes later the body of Germolus was found near the side of the house by his wife, but life was already extinct. Although Fred Germolus, a son, was working near the house, and Mr. Lopez and a boy named Joe Perria were in a neighboring field, no one saw the actual start of the runaway, nor did they see Germolus thrown from his seat on the rake. Apparently, however, the man fell toward when the horses began to run and when the tongue broke, releasing the animals from the rake, was entangled in the lines and dragged feet first to the house, a distance of about 80 feet, before the lines were pulled free of him. Later examination showed that the frontal bone of the head had been fractured, and various other injuries received. A physician was called as soon as possible, but as already stated, the man was dead when found and beyond assistance. The local undertakers, Davis & Evans, were then called to take charge of the body and the coroner notified. The inquest held by Coroner Wood Monday morning brought out the facts substantially as above, the witnesses being the deceased man's sons, Samuel and Frank, the boy Joe Perria, Mr. Lopez and J. H. Evans. The verdict of the coroner's jury was to the effect that Germolus had come to his death by being dragged by runaway horses. Johann Germolus was born in East Prussia in 1848, and was therefore 67 years of age at the time of his death. He came to the United States in 1883 and located on a farm at Borup, Minn., where he lived for many years. In 1913 he moved to Patterson, where he had purchased two tracts of land, arriving here on April 6 of that year. After coming here he devoted his time and attention to improving his farm, assisted by his wife and three of his sons, one of whom owns a farm adjoining. While advanced in years, he was quite active, and as he had farmed all his life he was used to horses and had handled them easily. The team he was driving on the fatal day was considered very gentle, and just how they came to run away will never be known. Besides the widow, the deceased leaves seven children to mourn his loss; five sons and two daughters. The sons are Samuel II., Frank and Fred of Patterson, August Germolus of Borup, Minn., and Hermann Germolus of Twin Valley, Minn. The two daughters are Mrs. H. F. Milbrath of Gardena, North Dakota, and Mrs. Rudolph Kurpjaweit of Seven Persons, Alberta, Canada. The funeral services were held Wednesday afternoon at the Presbyterian church, Rev. J. G. Vogel of Stockton officiating, assisted by Rev. W. F. Haynes of Patterson. Interment was in Newman cemetery. Two sisters of the deceased from Portland, Ore., attended the funeral, the services having been delayed a day on their account. A number of friends from Portland, Stockton and Chicago were also in attendance.
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Hall, E L Mrs
Town Saddened At Mrs. Hall's Death; The people of this community were greatly saddened this week upon learning of the sudden death of Mrs. E. L. Hall. Beyond the fact that she died at Chandler, Arizona, on the 8th inst., and that on the 10th inst, Mr. Hall was on the Santa Fe Railway en route to Omaha where the funeral services were to be held, no particulars have been received. Mrs. Hall lived in Patterson for several months at the time the Payne Investment Company were agents for the sale of the Ranch Company lands. Last autumn she returned to Patterson and lived with Mr. Hall at the Del Puerto Hotel until a few weeks ago, when she left with her husband for Omaha. Mrs. Hall was a kindly, gentle woman, respected and greatly liked by a large circle of friends in Patterson town and colony, by whom she will long be remembered. For Mr. Hall, who in recent years has been so closely in touch with the business affairs of the community, a universal sympathy is felt.
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Hoffman, M D
Mrs. M. D. Hoffman; A long and useful life was closed Thursday morning, June 37th, when death summoned Mrs. M. D. Hoffman, who for the last three years had made her home here with her son, Elwyn Hoffmain of the Patterson Irrigator. She had reached an advanced age, and during the past year her health had failed steadily. About a month ago she was compelled to take to her bed as the result of a slight fall, and although everything possible was done for her, she suffered considerable pain and gradually grew weaker. The end came at 1:40 a.m. Thursday. Her daughter Belle, who cared for her during her last illness, and her son Elwyn were with her at the last as were her other two sons, A. V. Hoffman of Turlock and C. F. Hoffman, who arrived here Monday from his home at French Corral, Cal. Melissa D. Hoffman was the daughter of Thomas J. and Elizabeth Stark, and was born near Lafayette, in Tippecanoe county, Indiana. When she was two years of age her father moved to the state of Iowa, taking up a fine farm near Muskatine City, then known as Bloomington. Here the family lived until Melissa was ten years old, when they moved to Mehasky county in Iowa and made a farm home which they occupied for a number of years. Thomas J. Stark then came to California, making his first trip across the plains by ox team in the spring of 1850. He became interested in mining property in Nevada county, and in 1854 returned to Iowa to sell his farm and go back to California with a drove of cattle the following spring. While her father was in California Melissa attended normal school and after graduation taught school for some time. After her father sold his farm and started once more for the Pacific Coast, Mrs. Stark and her two, children, Melissa and William, came to California via New York and Panama. Mr. Stark had located at Pleasant Valley, Nevada county, and had a home there ready for them when they arrived. The family lived there for many years, and it was while living there that Melissa met and married Henry J. Hoffman. After her marriage she and her husband went to Omega above Nevada City to live returning later to Pleasant Valley, where Mr. Hoffman took up a farm close to his father-in-law's place. Mrs Hoffman left five children -- Lyle Adella Hoffman of San Francisco, Adrian V. Hoffman, editor of the Turlock Journa, Clarence F. Hoffman, French Corral, Cal., Florence C. Hoffman, Lodi, Cal., and Elwyn Hoffman of Patterson. Her husband died some years ago, and after the children grew up the family moved to Stockton, and later to San Francisco. When her son Elwyn located in Patterson Mrs. Hoffman came here to make her home with him. Through her father Mrs. Hoffman was a lineal descendant of. Gen. John Stark and Gen. Nathaniel Green of Revolutionary war fame, and also of Daniel Boone, the famous Indian fighter of Kentucky. Her grandfather, William Stark of Virginia, married Leah Shortridge, which made Mrs. Hoffman a cousin of Samuel Shortridge and Hon. Charles Shortridge, well known public men of California, and their sister, Mrs. Clara Shortridge Foltz, the eminent woman jurist now of Los Angeles. Mrs. Hoffman's father was a brother of John Stark, who is known in the history of California as "the hero of Donner Lake" because of his valorous work in rescuing the ill-fated Donner party. In accordance with Mrs. Hoffman's last wishes, the funeral arrangements were very simple. The body was taken in charge by Davis & Evans, who prepared it for shipment to Stockton, the interment being in the Protestant cemetery there, Friday. Mrs. Hoffman was a woman of many worthy qualities, not least of which was a brave and optimistic spirit. She will be missed by all who knew her well.
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Holden, Steve
Westley Suicide May Be Steve Holden; An unidentified body found on the Southern Pacific right-of-way at Westley, Stanislaus County, may be that of Steve Holden, a blacksmith, according to the belief of local people who knew the man, says the Stockton Independent. The description of the body and of Holden tally very closely. The body was found Saturday evening by a brakeman, lying under the Southern Pacific water tank at Westley, with the throat slashed from ear to ear. Inside the body was a razor with which the deed is believed to have been done and Stanislaus authorities are of the opinion that the case is one of suicide. When inquiry was made at the home of A. V. Hauselt last evening by an independent reporter, it was stated that Hauselt had worked with a man named Steve Holden at the blacksmith shop of R. A. Rains and that he was about the age of the man found dead at Westley. R. A. Rains, when asked about Holden, said that a description of the man tallied very closely with that of the man who had been in his employ.
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McClure, Robert
Prominent Newmanite Found Dead Sunday; Stricken with a sudden attack of heart failure while no one was within reach to aid him, Robert McClure came to a tragic end Sunday evening in the store of the Simon Newman Company at Newman. The first knowledge of his death was the discovery of the body by Justin Hofman, manager of the store, about nine o'clock Sunday evening. Both had rooms on the second floor of the building and Mr. Hofman started to ascend the stairway leading up from the main floor of the store, when he encountered the body of McClure, lying on the steps, just above the central landing. Just how long it had been there is not known, but from the condition of the body, it was thought that at least three or four hours had intervened. Coroner Wood held an inquest over the remains, and after the results of an autopsy by Dr. H. V. Armistead were reported, the jury brought in a verdict of death due to heart failure. The deceased was fifty-six years of age, and unmarried, his nearest relative being a sister. Mrs. L. L. Archibald of Fresno, at which place he was buried.
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McCoy, infant
Death of Infant; Funeral services were held last Saturday afternoon at 3 o'clock by Rev. S. T. Palstine of the Presbyterian Church for the infant daughter of Mr. and Mrs. I. C. McCoy, who was born Feb. 25th and died Feb. 26th. Interment was in the Newman cemetery.
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McGinnis, Charles W
Crows Landing Resident Dead; Charles William McGinnis, livery man at Crows Landing, died at 11o'clock Monday night at the Evans Hospital, the cause of death being diabetes and gangrene in one foot from which he had been suffering for the last two years. Charles William McGinnis was born July 28, 1854, at Wells River, Vermont, and came to California when 19 years old to engage at ranching in the vicinity of Stockton. In 1896 he moved to the Big Oak Flat ranch, 15 miles from Crows Landing where he lived until entering the livery and fuel business at Crows Landing in 1904. The surviving members of the family are the widow, Mrs. Helen Elizabeth McGinnis, and a son, Francis T. McGinnis, student at the State University. A brother, John T. McGinnis lives at Escalon, and. his mother, Mrs. M. A. Eggleston, and two sisters, live at Wells River, Vermont. The funeral was held in Oakland, where the remains were cremated.
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Monoz, Felistaz
Death of Mrs. Monoz; The death of Felistaz Monoz, mother of Ben and Frank Lopez, section hands on the Southern Pacific, occurred Thursday morning at 8 o'clock at the section crew's quarters south of the depot. Mrs. Monoz was a native of Sonora, Mexico, and aged 80 years. She had been ill for some time, and under a doctor's care. Funeral services were held Friday, interment being in the Newman cemetery.
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Randall, Joseph A
Joseph A. Randall; Joseph A. Randall, father of Mrs. E. H. Kistner, died at his home in the colony last Sunday morning, death being due to heart trouble. He had seemed in the best of health and spirits that morning, and after breakfast had laughed about a joke which he had read in a newspaper. Suddenly the final summons came, and he dropped from his chair fatally stricken. The deceased was a native of Keen, New Hampshire, and was aged 70 years, 9 months and 19 days. He was married at Randolph, Kas., on Feb. 5, 1868, to Miss Eliza Chapman, who survives him, together with three children, Mrs. W.E. Lundy, Mrs. E. H. Kistner of Patterson and R. D. Randal of Sylvan Springs, Ark. He had lived here but a few months. The funeral arrangements were made by Davis & Evans and services were held in the Presbyterian church Tuesday morning. Rev. S. T. Palstine officiating. Interment was in Newman cemetery, where the last words were said by Rev. Breeze of Newman. The post mortem held by Dr. I. C. Perdue for Coroner Harry Wood, showed that death had been caused by valvular trouble of the heart. The deceased carried an insurance of $2,000 in the order of Workmen.
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South, Clinton W
Newman Native Dies in Dare-Devil Ride; Clinton W. South of Ripon, his little son, Lawrence, and his mother, Mrs. Celestia South, were killed and Mrs. T. E. Walden of Newman was painfully and critically, if not fatally, injured in an auto accident on Thursday afternoon of last week on the State highway near Salida. This fact was shown by the testimony of L. L. Osborn, a jitney driver and witness of a part of the race, and of George W. Miller and Alvin D. Medford, who were among the first at the scene of the wreck, as given at the coroner's inquest. The verdict of the jury places responsibility for the accident on South for driving "at a high rate of speed." South was a native of Newman, 42 years of age. His father, the late A. W. South, was an early settler on the west side and served the county as supervisor. Clinton South was a successful rancher of the west side and for the past ten years has been a prosperous resident of Ripon. At last accounts, Mrs. Walden was progressing nicely and it was believed would recover.
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Swartz, Omega K
Mrs. Swartz Called by Death; The death of Mrs. Omega Kinsell-Swartz, beloved wife of Rev. Herman F. Swartz, of Upper Mont Clair, N. J. occurred Wednesday, August 18, at Burlington, Vt. She was a sister of Mr. Dudley Kinsell, president of the Patterson Ranch Company, and a native of Oakland, Cal.
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Tolle, J W Mrs
Mother Of Twelve Called by Death; Mrs. J. W. Tolle passed away Saturday evening at the family home at Poplar and Olive avenues. She was a native of Illinois, 39 years of age. Besides her husband she leaves a father, two sisters and twelve children. Mrs. Tolle was the mother of Mrs. Arthur Hurst of Gridley, Mrs. Raymond Torrence of Fort Bragg and Clarence, Elijah, Iva, Ina, Agnes, Rhoda, Elsie, Edna, Glen and Woodrow Tolle, all of Patterson. The deceased was the daugther of G. W. Baker of Utica, Missouri, and the sister of Mrs. D. Johnson of Point Richmond, Cal., and Mrs. Ada Fohrman of Ewing, Missouri. The funeral services were held at ten o'clock Monday morning from the Church of the Brethren, the ceremonies being conducted by Rev. F. W. Farnsworth of the Seventh Day Advent Church of Oakland. The interment was at Newman.
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Twitchel, J A
Funeral Wednesday Of J. A. Twitchel; The death of J. A. Twitchel, who for a long time was a sufferer from cancer in-the head, occurred on the 24th instant at Stockton, where he had been confined in the hospital for some time. The body was shipped to Davis & Evans, the local undertakers, Monday evening, and the funeral was held Wednesday afternoon at 2 o'clock in the Church of the Brethren. Rev. M. A. Wimberley of the Methodist church officiating. Interment was in Newman cemetery. Jasper Abram Twitchel was born at San Jose, Cal, March 2, 1864, and was aged 51 years 6 months and 23 days. He came to Patterson August 18, 1910, and his family has resided here ever since. The deceased leaves a widow and three young children, and also three brothers and four sisters. The sisters are all married and live in Contra Costa county.
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Unknown, Man
Unknown Man Commits Suicide at Westley; The body of an unknown man was found under the Southern Pacific water tank at Westley last Saturday afternoon by a brakeman of a freight train. It was apparently a case of suicide, the stranger having slashed his throat twice with a razor. According to the statements of hobos around Westley, the man arrived there Saturday morning on a freight train. His clothes indicated that he was a working man, but he did not have the appearance of being a tramp. The only clue to the suicide's identity was a ticket of admission to the Garrick Theater, on the reverse side of which the name, A.. V. Haunlet, was written, together with the address, 317 East Sonora St.. Stockton. The laundry mark on the man's clothing was No. 33. Coroner Wood took charge of the case and removed the body to Modesto, where an inquest was held.
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Utz, J H
J. H. Utz Dies After Operation; Unable to rally from the shock of an operation for cancer on the ribs, J. H. Utz, one of the best known farmers in the Patterson Colony, died at the Land Hospital, San Francisco. on Tuesday, April 20, at 3:30 o'clock. Mr. Utz had suffered from pains in his right side for some time and recently submitted himself to an examination at Lane's. The verdict was that an operation would be necessary as it was found that he had cancer of the ribs, and on Tuesday of last week he returned to the hospital to go under the knife. The operation was performed Monday morning by Dr. Stanley Stillman, who is considered one of the best surgeons on the coast, but the shock was too great, and death ensued the following day. Mrs. Utz accompanied her husband to the city and was with him at the end. He never regained consciousness after going under the anaesthetic. J. H. Utz was born in Kansas City, Mo. and was 41 years of age. In 1897 he was married to Miss Berenice Paine at Guthrie, Okla., and later moved west and located at Fowler in Fresno county. He came to Patterson some four years ago and built one of the first houses in the town which was then just being started and later moved to the farm which he had purchased on Walnut avenue. He was a genial, whole-souled man well liked by his neighbors and all who knew him, and his sudden passing is deeply regretted by his many friends whose sincere sympathy goes out to his widow. Besides the widow, the deceased leaves a number of relatives to mourn his loss: His mother, Mrs. J, B. Coats of Coalinga; a sister, Mrs. S. G. Green of San Diego, and two brothers, E. D. Utz of of Memphis, Term., and K. G. Utz of Marshall, Mo. Other relatives are a brother-in-law, A. S. Youell and family of Fresno and J. C. Paine of Fowler. The funeral was held Friday at Fresno, Dr. McNinch of the Fowler Presbyterian Church officiating. Interment was in Mountain View Cemetery.
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Walden, Alice C
Auto Ride Fatal to Mrs. Alice C. Walden; Newman lost one of its best beloved residents when Mrs. Alice Cary Walden died last week as the result of injuries received in an automobile accident four weeks before. She was the last to pass away of the four occupants of the car driven by Clinton W. South, on August 26 when his machine was turned over on the highway near Salida. South, his son and mother were killed instantly. Mrs. Walden seemed to be on the road to recovery until within a few hours before her death. Mrs. Walden will be greatly missed in Newman says the West Side Index. A woman of unbounded energy and tireless patience in any work she undertook, and with most unusual public spirit, she has been at the head of nearly every movement for the betterment of moral and intellectual conditions for many years. The deceased was a veteran school teacher, one of the first to be admitted to the State pension roll for having taught forty years. She was a native of Iowa, and was 61 years of age in August. Coming to California in 1871, she lived a few years in Sonoma county, and in 1876 came to old Hills Ferry, where she was married soon after to the late Judge T. E. Walden, who died about a year ago. She is survived by four children, Mrs. W. T. Harding of Crows Landing, Mrs. F. R. Selman of Mendocino county, Mrs. G. W. Wade of Cloverdale, and Marshall Walden of Newman. Mrs. Walden has taught in San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced counties, and was for several years one of the teaching corps of the Canal school just south of Newman. Many of the leading men and women of Newman and Crows Landing learned their A.B.C.'s from Mrs. Walden.
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Wallis, Wilmer T
Death Monday of Wilmer Thomas Wallis; Wilmer Thomas Wallis, a brother of Mrs. Oscar Engblom of Patterson and the youngest son of Mrs. Jane Wallis of Crows Landing, died early Monday morning at the Evans Hospital in Modesto. The deceased was a native of California, aged 37 years 4 months and 5 days. His family is a well known one on the West Side, where his father, Thomas K. Wallis, lived for many years previous to his death in 1904. Besides the mother the surviving relatives are four sisters, Mrs. Oscar Engblom of Patterson, Mrs. Minnie Fink, Miss Clara Wallis and Miss Emma Wallis of Crows Landing, and three brothers, Herbert H. Wallis of Crows Landing, A. A. Wallis of Modesto, and Delmar L. Wallis of Lodi. The funeral was held Wednesday, Rev. A. S. Mason of the Presbyterian church of Crows Landing officiating.
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Whitby, George A
Newman Attorney Dies in Metropolis; George Alexander Whitby passed away at eight o'clock Monday morning at his apartments in San Francisco where he was spending his vacation. Such were the tidings that cast a shadow of sorrow over the entire community, says the West Side Index. Mr. Whitby had been in very poor health for some time past, and for a while was quite low. But he recovered partially and gained sufficient strength to make the journey to the city, where the cooler climate resulted in a marked improvement, and he had even made several visits to the Exposition. So that the end came as somewhat of a surprise. Various troubles which were aggravated by overwork, caused the breakdown, heart failure being the direct cause of death. The funeral services were held Wednesday afternoon, at two o'clock from the undertaking parlors of S. Green, 1237 Valencia street, San Francisco. The remains were cremated. George Alexander Whitby was born at Shaw's Flat, Tuolumne county, on December 25th, 1858, being a son. of Dr. F.G. Whitby, a veteran of the Mexican war and a California pioneer and former Stanislaus supervisor. His early life was spent in the section near Oakdale, and later he attended the University of California, graduating with the class of 1879. He then attended Hastings Law school and was one of the early graduates from that institution. He started to practice in Modesto, but after a few years there, removed to Newman about twenty years ago and has remained here ever since, seeing the town grow from a tiny hamlet to its present prosperous condition. He had built up an extensive practice on the West Side and has been the City Attorney of Newman continuously since the incorporation of the town. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Nettie Whitby and two children, Miss Florence Whitby, who has been residing at home and Ray Whitby, a deputy in the county treasurers office. Conscientious, broad thinking, and public spirited, he was always at the forefront in activities for the advancement of the town that he has seen grow from its infancy. An earnest worker in fraternal circles, a strong advocate of democratic principles and of high standing in his profession, his loss creates a vacancy that will be keenly felt.
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Williams, George L
Oakland Boy Meets Accidental Death; George Llewelyn Williams, a boy of 16 years, was killed in Patterson Sunday morning by the accidental discharge of a shotgun in his own hands. The lad arrived on the 11:15 train from his home in Oakland to spend a vacation with his chum, Raymond Jackson, son of Mr. and Mrs. E. Jackson of Patterson colony. Mrs. Jackson returned from a trip to 0akland on the same train with young Williams, being met at the depot by Raymond Jackson with a horse and buggy. On the way from the station out to the Jackson place at Prune and Sycamore avenues Mrs. Jackson occupied the front seat with her youngest son, while the visitor and his friend stood on the hind axles of the buggy. Seeing a bird young Williams jumped to the ground and pulled the gun from under the buggy seat. The trigger catching, the weapon was discharged and the Williams boy received the injuries that caused his death within a short time. The flesh along the left arm was torn and the bullet penetrated the left lung. The body was removed to the undertaking establishment of Davis and Evans, where an inquest was held Monday morning by Coroner Harry J. Wood. After listening to the testimony of the boy's father and Dr. A. M. Field, the jury rendered a verdict of accidental death. The jury consisted of G. L. Finster, foreman, L. H. Dunaphant, Ray W. Hays, M. M. Vollendraft, M. Miller, C. M. Mack, Fred H. Criswell, C. B. Benson, L. M. Malinowsky, B. Webb, J. N. Rouse and N, J. Frederickson. Young Williams was the son of Mr. and Mrs. G. 0. Williams of 569 Fifty-Ninth Street, Oakland, where the body was shipped Monday evening for burial.
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