Obit: Kyle, Earl (1885 - 1915)

Contact:  Stan

Surnames: KYLE HOPPEN

----Sources: Colby Phonograph (Colby, Clark County, Wis.) 03/25/1915

Kyle, Earl (22 FEB 1885 - 21 MAR 1915)

Knocked from the side of a car on which he was riding, Earl Kyle of this city, employed as brakeman on the Soo Line, met a horrible death beneath a freight train at Chelsea at about 12:30 o’clock Sunday morning.

Kyle was working with an extra freight in charge of Conductor J.H. Eubanks and Engineer Robert Behnke. The train left this city on its outgoing trip Friday and went as far as Park Falls. It was on the return trip that the fatal accident occurred.

At Chelsea the train crew was engaged in picking up some cars from a side track. Kyle was clinging to the grab-irons on the side of a box car and as it was being pulled onto the main line he was knocked off by the protruding stock pen chute. Conductor Eubanks saw his lantern fail and stopped the train as soon as possible. Fears that Kyle had fallen beneath the wheels were confirmed when his mangled remains were found along eh track. His head was severed and his body badly cut up by the wheels of three cars that passed over him.

The remains were taken to Medford to be prepared for burial and on passenger train No. 12 Sunday afternoon were brought to this city, accompanied from Colby by his father, Peter Kyle, his sister, Miss Goldie Kyle, and his wife’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Hoppen. At 11:30 Monday morning a short service was conducted at the residence, 1314 Clark St. by Rev. James Blake of the Baptist Church, after which the body was placed on Soo Line Train No. 11 for transportation to Colby, Clark Co., Wis. Services will be conducted at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Hoppen at 3 o’clock Tuesday afternoon, with the pastor of the Methodist Church of that place in charge. Interment will be in the Colby Cemetery.

Those who accompanied the remains from here were the grief stricken widow, Miss Goldie Kyle, Mrs. Peter Hoppen and George Hoppen, the latter of this city. Mrs. George Hoppen went to Colby Monday evening and Mr. and Mrs. William Hoppen of Chicago will arrive there Tuesday morning.

Earl Kyle was born near Colby and last Feb. 22 was his thirtieth birthday anniversary. Up to about three years ago, when he came to this city, he had always resided at or near Colby, and at one time conducted a hotel in that city. He also had charge of a farm near there for a couple of years. His marriage to Miss Hulda Hoppen, sister of George Hoppen of this city, occurred at Colby, Nov. 26, 1910.

Since coming to this city in June 1912, Mr. Kyle had been employed much of the time as brakeman on the Soo Line. It was only last Friday that he received his annual pass from the railway company, in consideration of two years rights on the road, and it was a vagary of fate tha the pass was first used in the transportation of his body from Medford to this city.

Mr. Kyle was a steady, reliable workman, a young man of excellent character and ability. He was ighly regarded among fellow workmen and acquaintances generally, all of whom feel a personal loss in his death. Surviving, besides his young widow, are his father, Peter Kyle, a sister, Miss Goldie Kyle, and a brother, Raymond Kyle, all of whom reside on a farm in the town of Frankfort, Marathon Co. Another brother was shot and killed in a hunting accident a number of years ago. (Stevens Point Daily Journal)

The remains arrived here Monday afternoon, and the funeral was held from the M.E. Church Tuesday afternoon, the resident pastor, Rev. R.B. Braddick, officiating. The pallbearers were James Graham, H.W. Johnson, J.J. Warshak, Chas. Keyes, E. O. Raud of Stevens Point, and Frank Parkhill of Abbotsford, members of the Brotherhood of Railway Trainsmen.

Other members of the order present at the funeral were: A.H. Olingy and wife, A.H. Baker, Geo. Resech, J. Eubanks, H. Moberg, Chars. Madden, Dan Kelly, Chas. Kuehn, J. Karb of Stevens Point, T.J. Mathews, Oscar Mellin, Chas. Phipps and John Sybeldon of Abbotsford, Wis.