Home > England > Suffolk > St Edmundsbury Borough > Bury St Edmunds > Bury St Edmunds Cemetery > William E Herron

William E Herron

Birth	:	10 Mar 1848 Fayette, Lafayette County, Wisconsin, USA
Death	:	4 Dec 1896 Le Mars, Plymouth County, Iowa, USA
Burial	:	Bury St Edmunds Cemetery, Bury St Edmunds, St Edmundsbury Borough, England
Coordinate	:	52.2438030, 0.7014930
Plot	:	Block 9 Lot 60
Description	:	Sioux City Journal, Dec 3, 1896 Plymouth Sheriff Killed W. E. Herron Foun Dead by the Railroad Track Near LeMars Body Discovered By Train Men He Evidentally Fell Off the Platform in the Dark and Rolled Down a Forty-Five Foot Embankment - Coroner's Jury Renders Verdict to that Effect. LeMars, Dec. 2. - Special: W. E. Herron, sheriff of Plymouth county was found dead by the railroad track this morning by the crew of the Illinois Central Freight No. 94 that arrived in LeMars from Sioux City this morning. The body was frozen stiff and evidentally lain there for some time. An ugly gash was... Read More	Sioux City Journal, Dec 3, 1896 Plymouth Sheriff Killed W. E. Herron Foun Dead by the Railroad Track Near LeMars Body Discovered By Train Men He Evidentally Fell Off the Platform in the Dark and Rolled Down a Forty-Five Foot Embankment - Coroner's Jury Renders Verdict to that Effect. LeMars, Dec. 2. - Special: W. E. Herron, sheriff of Plymouth county was found dead by the railroad track this morning by the crew of the Illinois Central Freight No. 94 that arrived in LeMars from Sioux City this morning. The body was frozen stiff and evidentally lain there for some time. An ugly gash was cut in the right side of the head over the ear, and the skull was crushed. His head and face otherwise more or less bruised. The supposition is that he boarded the Omaha passenger for the North last night at the Hinton crossing, and that he either could not get inside the car and became cold and numb and lost his hold and fell off, or in passing from one car to another slipped and fell off. Two men came from leMars early this morning and reported that they saw the body of an unknown man lying in the snow near the fence by the roadside about a half mile north of the house on the Mort place. They said that there was blood on the man's face and that they thought a murder had been committed. They had not touched the body, but at once notified Coroner Mammen. The Coroner and Marshall Bailey started for the scene of the affair, but before they reached the place, which is about five miles South of LeMars, the morning train came along and the trainmen picked up the corpse and brought it to LeMars, where it was recognised and friends and relatives notified. There was considerable blood on the shirt front and icicles were around the mouth. The hands were torn and bloody. A cut in the cap and blood on the head showed where he had struck something and cut a gash in his scalp. Herron went to Hinton last night to serve subpoenaes on some witnesses and it was expected that he would return home on the 11 o'clock Minneapolis flyer. That train does not stop at Hinton so he expectd to go to the crossing of the Sioux City and Northern and the Central tracks about a mile north of Hinton and get on the train when it stopped for the crossing. After placing the body in Spring Bros. undertaking rooms, the coroner empaneled a jury composed of Thomas Adamson, George E. Loring, and C. E. Haas, and with them went to look at the place where the body was found. It was ascertained that Herron fell or was knocked off the train about six rods south of a gate and farm crossing at the point where the wagon road turns away to the north form the curve in the railroad track. Well defined tracks in the gravel and snow showed where he had slid along the ground and down the embankment about forty-five feet, where he landed in a snowdrift about twenty feet from the rails. The snow showed that he had laid there a short time and bled, and then had staggered to his feet and walked to the barbed wire fence along the right of way. The tracks along by the side of the fence showed where he had staggered along by the fence and hung over the barbed wires. There were places that showed where he had fallen down and then got up and gone on again. Frozen blood on the wires in several places showed where he had stopped to rest. Herron was a strong man physically and a man of indomitable will and bravery. Although he was badly hurt and bleeding and the cold was intense, he made a desperate struggle for life. Again and again he fell down and at every grasp on the wires the barbs tore his gloves and hands. Thus he struggled on the fifty-one rods from the place where he struck the ground from the train. Here he sank down and was overcome with the cold. Lying by the fence, with his body partly under it, he was found this morning frozen and dead. Just how it happened no one can tell. It is very probable that he got aboard the train at the crossing and got on where the vestibules of the cars made it impossible for him to get inside. He wore an ordinary overcoat and light buckskin gloves and a cloth cap. He had not expected to take an outside ride and if he did have to ride on the car steps he would have become severely benumbed riding in the cutting wind before reaching the place where he left the train and a lurch of the train might have thrown him off. The train is equipped with Wagner sleepers on which the vestibules are out almost even with the side of the cars. A man standing on the step would be obliged to lean out and support his body by hanging on the grab irosn with his hands. There is of course no way of telling whether or not he lay insensible for a time in the cold after he fell off. At the inquest this afternoon R. J. Bloomer and T. H. Waters testified to seeing Herron after 10 o'clock last night at Hinton walking up to the crossing to get on the train. The train crew were detained as witensses, and testified as to the facts of finding the body and bringing it to LeMars, but aside from the above facts nothing definate was brought out by the inquest as to how he met the accident. A verdict was brought in accordance with the above facts. Herron had been sheriff for about a year. He was a very popular man and was developing into one of the best sheriffs of the state. He has lived in the Plymouth county about fifteen years and previous to that time had lived in the Grundy and Hardin counties of Iowa, having been born in Fayette county, Wisconsin, about fifty years ago. During the time that he has lived in LeMars he has made many friends and his detah comes as a severe shock to the community. His wife and one son survive him and with his brothers we'll have the sincere sympathy of the community. -------------------------------------------------- Sioux City Journal, December 15, 1896 Herron's Brother Succeds Him. LeMars, Dec. 14 - Special: The board of supervisors met in a special session today and appointed F. O. Herron, brother of Wm E. Herron, sheriff until the next general election. All the members of the board were present and Mr. Herron was the unanimous choice. Mr. Herron has been a deputy sheriff for the past year and has proven himself a trustworthy and capable man. He has no family and Mrs. W. E. Herron will continue to live at the jail and keep house for her brother-in-law.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is William E Herron's memorial?
William E Herron's memorial is located at: Bury St Edmunds Cemetery, Bury St Edmunds, St Edmundsbury Borough, England.
When did William E Herron death?
William E Herron death on 4 Dec 1896 in Le Mars, Plymouth County, Iowa, USA
Where are the coordinates of the William E Herron's memorial?
Latitude: 52.2438030
Longitude: 0.7014930

Family Members:

Parent

Spouse

Harriet “Hattie” Hauser Smith

(1854 - 1933)

Siblings

Olivia V Bunt

(1857 - 1930)

Carson Daniel Herron

(1860 - 1942)

Elmer Ellsworth Herron

(1864 - 1940)

Children

Errol DuFay Herron

(1877 - 1955)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Bury St Edmunds Cemetery
Bury St Edmunds, St Edmundsbury Borough, England
Coordinate: 52.2438030, 0.7014930

2. St. Edmundsbury Cathedral
Bury St Edmunds, St Edmundsbury Borough, England
Coordinate: 52.2439340, 0.7170190

3. St. Mary's Churchyard
Bury St Edmunds, St Edmundsbury Borough, England
Coordinate: 52.2424630, 0.7172480

4. Bury St Edmunds Abbey
Bury St Edmunds, St Edmundsbury Borough, England
Coordinate: 52.2441060, 0.7192360

5. Saint Mary's Churchyard
Westley, St Edmundsbury Borough, England
Coordinate: 52.2486230, 0.6701530

6. Saint Leonard's Churchyard
Horringer, St Edmundsbury Borough, England
Coordinate: 52.2250540, 0.6750640

7. Saint Martin's Churchyard
Fornham St Martin, St Edmundsbury Borough, England
Coordinate: 52.2695570, 0.7133080

8. West Suffolk Crematorium
Risby, St Edmundsbury Borough, England
Coordinate: 52.2600280, 0.6648640

9. All Saints Churchyard
Fornham St Genevieve, St Edmundsbury Borough, England
Coordinate: 52.2759800, 0.6920480

10. All Saints Fornham Churchyard
Bury St Edmunds, St Edmundsbury Borough, England
Coordinate: 52.2760548, 0.6920269

11. St Peter's Churchyard
Nowton, St Edmundsbury Borough, England
Coordinate: 52.2109220, 0.7257590

12. St. Mary's Churchyard
Ickworth, St Edmundsbury Borough, England
Coordinate: 52.2184440, 0.6516990

13. St Nicholas Churchyard
Little Saxham, St Edmundsbury Borough, England
Coordinate: 52.2421640, 0.6338780

14. Holy Innocents Churchyard
Great Barton, St Edmundsbury Borough, England
Coordinate: 52.2600380, 0.7678410

15. St Giles War Memorial - Risby
Risby, St Edmundsbury Borough, England
Coordinate: 52.2660130, 0.6396260

16. St Giles Churchyard
Risby, St Edmundsbury Borough, England
Coordinate: 52.2661320, 0.6397400

17. All Saints Churchyard
Hawstead, St Edmundsbury Borough, England
Coordinate: 52.1998300, 0.7143900

18. Church of the Reconciliation
Hengrave, St Edmundsbury Borough, England
Coordinate: 52.2850270, 0.6733120

19. St Nicholas Churchyard
Rushbrooke, St Edmundsbury Borough, England
Coordinate: 52.2193810, 0.7704070

20. Church of St. Thomas à Becket
Great Whelnetham, St Edmundsbury Borough, England
Coordinate: 52.2003200, 0.7468860

21. St Andrew Church
Great Saxham, St Edmundsbury Borough, England
Coordinate: 52.2343860, 0.6179690

22. St. Andrew's Churchyard
Timworth, St Edmundsbury Borough, England
Coordinate: 52.2940830, 0.7269200

23. Whepstead Cemetery
Whepstead, St Edmundsbury Borough, England
Coordinate: 52.1922830, 0.6806830

24. St Mary Magdalene Churchyard
Little Whelnetham, St Edmundsbury Borough, England
Coordinate: 52.2062540, 0.7628880