----Source: CLARK COUNTY REPUBLICAN PRESS (Neillsville, Wis.) 12/25/1893

Lempke, William (1843 - DEC 1893)

Passenger train No. 161, which arrives from the east ab about 11:20 a.m. ran into and killed a span of horses and the driver William Lempke, at the crossing know as Yolo, in the Town of Fremont, Clark County. Where the highway crosses the railroad there is a deep cut, which obscures the view, preventing travelers upon the road from seeing a train until it is very close to the crossing. The cut is narrow both in highway and railroad, so that there is little chance to turn aside with a team. Lempke had been to Chili with a load of stave bolts, and was returning to his home in the town of Lynn. Just before reaching the crossing he was met by two or three other teamsters who were hauling bolts, and who claimed they heard the engine bell ringing for that crossing. Noticing the train suddenly stop they left their teams and went back, thing that Lempke had but just had time to reach the track and had met with an accident. He was probably so muffled up that he failed to hear the whistle or bell, which was sounded, and distinctly heard by the others. The engine struck the front end of the sleigh, breaking it and the rack into almost kindling wood, and doing considerable damage to the engine. The man was probably struck by the rack and thrown against the train, receiving injuries which caused his death. The horses were thrown onto the front end of the engine and were injured so badly that they died within an hour.

Mr. Lempke was picked up by the trainmen and brought tot his city in hopes that medical aid might be of use, but he died in the waiting room of the train depot a few minutes after reaching here.

Mr. Lempke was about 50 years of age, and owns a 40 acre far in Section three, town of Lynn, Clark County, on the main road from the village of Lynn to Yolo, and is in rather poor circumstances. He leaves a wife and three sons.

This is the first accident of the kind that has happened on this branch, and the first man killed by an engine driven by Engineer Flynn. No negligence can be attributed to him or Conductor Ford. The usual signals were give, and the train was running at its ordinary rate of speed. This cut, however, is a bad place and the railroad company or somebody should elevate the highway so that teams may pass above the tracks. In a great city like Chicago there may be necessity for an accident or two every day, but where so cheap a remedy as bridging the track is available at deep cuts there is no good reason why the lives of men and teams should be endangered on our country roads.