An unusually sad accident occurred in this city last Friday afternoon. Willie Mathern was working on an electric light pole in the alley back of the editor’s house when he in some way touched live wire carrying 1,100 volts and was almost instantly killed. Geo. Lucus and Ed Steele were on the ground below but weren’t watching him when the accident occurred. When Lucas looked up he saw him hanging, supported by his “safety” around the pole. The two men cut him loose and let the body down with a rope but life was already extinct. Dr. Fees was called and an effort made to revive him but to no avail, the power of the current was *two strong, the brittle thread of life had been severed. Coroner Pierce was called and the body was taken to his undertaking rooms, thinking an inquest might be necessary. None was held, however, the evidence of the manner and cause of his death being all too plain. The funeral is to be held at the house in north Blair at 3:30 this afternoon, having been postponed that a brother, Bruno, might come from Spokane, Wash. Rev. Lang, of the Methodist church will officiate. Besides the grief stricken mother he leaves a full sister, Louise Mathern, a half sister, Miss Flora Buttenschon, and three half brothers, Walter, of Scribner, Bruno, of Spokane, Wash., and Rudolph, who was somewhere in Iowa. Willie was a graduate of the Blair High school in the class of 1907 and had been working for the Electric Light Co. most of the time since his graduation. He was a faithful, hardworking boy, only 20 years of age, and ambitious to succeed in his chosen profession. The entire community sympathizes deeply with the family in their great loss and almost overpowering grief.

*typed the way the obituary was written

~~~Obituaries courtesy of the Nebraska Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair, Nebraska Public Library~~~