COX, Stephen Wesley - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

Veedersburg, Feb 1 - Wesley Cox, 47, was fatally injured yesterday afternoon in an accident at the Armstrong coal mine south of this city. He was rushed to Lakeview Hospital, Danville, Illinois and died there at 11:10 last night. The Armstrong mine is located about 5 miles south of this place. Cox was standing beneath the tipple, and started to lower the cage into the mine. As the cage started down, he leaned forward to glance into the shaft to see if the water and air pumps were working. The descending cage struck him before he could straighten up and the weight of the heavy platform completely scalped the back of his head, crushing his skull and inflicting other injuries to his head and neck. He also suffered injuries to his back and leg. Mr. Cox was a cripple having lost his left arm at the shoulder in a corn shredder a few years ago. Because of this first accident, he was unable to work regularly, and did odd jobs, at the nearby mine and other places. He lived on a small farm near Yeddo, south of here. He is survived by a wife and three small children.

Stephen Wesley Cox, 48, of Yeddo, Ind died at 11:18 o'clock Monday night at Lake View Hospital at as the result of a fractured skull received when his head was crushed by the descending cage in the Armstrong mine, three miles from Yeddo Monday afternoon. He was brought to Lake View here and attended by Dr. A. Merrill Miller. Mr. Cox was an experienced miner, and the accident which resulted in his death is unusual. It is believed he stuck his head into the shaft to see where the cage was. It was descending and before he could withdraw his head the bottom of the cage caught him crushing him to the bottom of the shaft. The body was removed to the ER Pape Funeral Home. Coroner Cole made arrangements to hold the inquest Tuesday forenoon and gave permission for removal of the body to the family home in Yeddo. Funeral services will be held at 10 o'clock Thursday morning at the home in Yeddo. Interment will be made in the Masonic cemetery at Waynetown. Mr. Cox who was a brother of Mrs. Martin Coyne, 805 North Hazel Street was born in Oakwood Feb 20, 1880. His parents were William and Maria Cox. The family moved to Indiana when he was quite small. The mother died 22 years ago near Waynetown and the father died nine years ago at Kingman, Ind. Besides the sister in Danville, Mr. Cox is survived by the widow and three sons, Stephen, 21, and James 20 both married and Harold, 12. One brother, John Cox of Crawfordsville, Ind is living.