Raymond Wood Padgett ^42,43

   User ID: 521.

  General Notes:

From the Iola Register, Saturday, September 2, 1905 -
KILLED BY BOLT
R.W. Padgett an electrician at the Iola Portland Struck by Lightning.
ON ROOF OF THE OIL HOUSE
Young Man was re-arranging some electric wires when death came -- Dead Man's
home was in Fort Scott -- Body sent there this morning
Yesterday afternoon R.W. Padgett, a young man twenty-three years old, and an
electrician at the Iola Portland Cement works was struck by a bolt of
lightning and about five hours later passed away. At the time of the fatal
shock Padgett was alone on the roof of the oil house rearranging some electric
wires. The noise of the shock and the illiumnation which followed caused the
men in the offices to look out only to see Padgett throw up his arms and,
falling over, roll off the building to the ground ten feet below. The
unfortunate man was at once carried to the main office where he remained until
his death at nine thirty o'clock last night.

The physicians worked five and a half hours tring to relieve the sufferer, but
nothing could be done as the shock had paralyzed the boy. He spit blood
continually and the pulse kept growing more feeble.

An examination of the body showed a black mark above the temple, like a burn,
one on the cheek and another mark on the shoulder; also one on the right hand
where the bolt passed out. In the fall from the roof the shoulder was broken
but this injury is not thought to have played any part in his death. He was
also injured internally. From the time of the accident until his death Padgett
was unconscious giving no signs of life except a nervous twitching and labored
gasping.

One strange act of the lightning was that Padgett's cap was burned and torn
into shreds.

Immediately after the sad event the father of the boy, a prominent attorney of
Fort Scott, was telegraphed for and arrived just in time to be present at the
last fifteen minues of his son's life.

The body was taken to Culbertson's undertaking rooms and prepared for shipment
to the home of his parents in Fort Scott.

Young Padgett has been in the employ of the cement plant about six months as
an electrician and was greatly admired by his employers and fellow workmen. In
his short connection with the plant he had made some fast friends who are
greatly shocked by his untimely taking away.

At the time the bolt came, the thunder storm was thought to be over and
Padgett felt no alarm in working with the wires. The shock which killed him
was followed by an intense display of lightning which took the attention of
the men on the outside from their work and also the office men to the windows.
They were confident at once that the bolt had struck in the immediate
vicinity. For this reason it is believed that the closeness of Padgett to the
wires had nothing to do with his death, but on the contrary believe that we
was struck directly by the lightning.

The young man's death has caused something of a gloom to fall over the entire
plant not only because of his popularity but because this is the first
accident that has occured there for some time and the only one that has
resulted from an electrical storm.

The body of Paedgett was shipped this morning at 8:40 and the funeral will
likely occur tomorrow. The father of the boy, W.W. Padgett, did not know the
exact hour of the funeral but likely it will be in the afternoon. The Padgett
family have lived in Ft. Scott for a number of years. The father was
overwhelmed by the sudden affliction which has fallen upon the family.

The young man was a member of Rising Sun No. 8, of the A.F. and A.M.

Raymond Padgett was very popular in Iola. He was a member of the Iola football
team and was a strong athlete. Only lately he joined the Masonic lodge at Fort
Scott.

He was the son of W.W.Padgett, a prominent lawyer of Fort Scott.

The Republican says:

Raymond Padgett was born and raised in this city and he was one of the most
popular boys the town has ever turned out. He was educated in the city schools
and always participated as a member of the foot ball team of the high school.
He was a member of Rising Sun lodge, A.F. and A.m., of this city and he had
numerous friends who will be pained to learn of his death. He has been living
in Iola for a year, where he had been employed in a clerical position at one
of the cement mills.

Raylmond Padgett was for a long time one of the motormen on the cars of the
Fort Scott Gas and E lectric company where he made many additional friends,
his policy of always being accomodating and courteous to the patrons of the
company making him very popular. He was the oldest son of Mr. and Mrs. W.W.
Padgett.

W.W. Padgett had visited several days this week with his son. While here he
called on J.B. Goshorn, an old friend, whom he has known for many years. Mr.
Goshorn says that Young Padgett was an exemplary young man.

From the Iola Register, Tuesday, September 5, 1905 -
FUNERAL OF RAYMOND PADGETT
Was Held at Fort Scvott Sunday Under Auspices of the Masonic Lodge
The funeral of Raymond Padgett, the Iola Portland electrician who was killed
by lightning here last Friday, was held at Fort Scott Sunday. The Republican
says:

The funeral of Raymond Padgett, which was held from the family home at the
corner of Sixth and Horton streets Sunday afternoon, was under the auspices of
the Masonic lodge of which the deceased was a member. There were hundreds of
sympathizing friends who paid last respects to the dead and expressed their
deepest sympathy for the heart broken parents. The funeral was an extremely
sad one, made so by the sudden death of the young man. The Rev. Mr. Evans of
the First M.E. Church conducted the services and his remarks were touching and
filled with consolation to those who had been left behind. Many friends,
including the Masonic lodge, sent beautiful floral offerings, and they were so
numerous that the casket was almost buried beneath the pretty designs.

The Masonic burial services prevailed at the grave, conducted by W.E. Cassell
and Morris Liepman. A Masonic choir, composed of H.E. West, Ernest A. Henne,
C.E. Warner and A.R. Blakely, sang the Masonic ode. The pallberarers were R.B.
Campbell, Lloyd C. Lakin, Colonel Clair, L.M. Liepman, Everett Blakely and
Robert B. Barr. The interment was at Evergreen cemetery.

The Tribune says:

The engineers of the Portland Cement plant at Iola, the plant where Raymond
Pagett met his sudden death, were represented at the funeral yesterday by Mr.
Murphy, first assistant chief engineer of the plant. This is a big plant and
about thirty engineers are regularly employed there. ⁴²

  Noted events in his life were:

• Death due to: Electrocution. ^42,43