Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-08-29
WILL c. LESAN DIES
Ottumwa Young Man the Victim
Of a Sad Accident.
FUNERAL SERVICES HELD MONDAY
Company &C." |. N. g., in Which MIR.
Lesan Was Sergeant, Had Charge
of the Funeral Procession and the
Services at the Grave.

of the Funeral Procession and the
Services at the Grave.
[From Mondays Dailyl
Taps" the soldiers lullaby, sound
ed this morning over the grave in
which were inferred the remains of
the late Sergeant William C. Lesan,
of Company &C." |. N. G. After more
than week of Inconsistencies re-
sulting from a fall from his horse
when on the way to work, Will Lesan,
whose progress had been watched
with alternating hope and despair by
the whole city finally succumbed to
the injuries he had received and pass
ed away at Z: 80 o'clock last Saturday
evening
The awful accident which ended
the life of one of the citys
most promising young men, oc-
cured shortly before o'clock on
Friday morning, August 16. Mr.. Lee
san was riding on horseback to the
plant of John Morrell & Co., in the Of
flee of which firm he was employed,
and when on East Main street near
the Ottumwa hospital,t the animal Stun
bled and fell, throwing the rider to
the brick pavement. His skull was
fractured by the fall and the horse in
Its efforts to rise struck his head with
its hoof, fracturing the skull again
in another place.
The unfortunate young man was
Immediately picked up by pedestrians
who had witnessed the accident, and
was carried into the hospital. There
he received the best of attention from
nurses, doctors, family and friends.
His condition was watched an
xiously by every one in the
city. He never regained con-
seriousness, but at times he seemed
to grow better. But there are very
few, if any, who could survive such an
accident and in spite of all that could
be done to help him, he grew weaker,
and weaker, until death finally came
Saturday evening.
William c. Lesan was born at Mt.
Ayr, February Ii, 1880, and resided
there until 1896, when he removed
with his parents to this city. By his
upright, manly character he won ma
ny sincere friends in Ottumwa. Four
years ago he entered the employ of
, John Morrell & Co., beginning at the
, mail desk in the Office His merit en-
abled him to rise, so that at the time
of his death he had charge of the
!, mammoth foreign business of that
! concern, in the absence of the regular
. manager of that department, Fred j.
! Coleman, who was on a vacation trip
r in Colorado. MI. Lesan and Mr. Cole
man had, during their association in
q the same department, grown to be the
p closest of friends.
The death of the young man is
r made doubly sad ny the fact that he
Y was about to leave the city for the
benefit of his health. He had resign
ed his position in the Morrell office and
had decided to leave for Wyoming Sep
TENDER l, for the purpose of spending
S some time on a ranch ana probably
to locate in the west. His brother. H. e
Lesan, of st. Louis, had made ar
: rangements for him to go to Sar
!. Francisco and take a position with 6
Il large fruit firm there, and wrote let
A ter to him on the day preceding the
a accident. 1t arrived here too late fol
!. the unfortunate young man to know
n it's import, as he was unconscious from
n the time he fell from his horse.
l. Mr. Lesan was member of the
l. First Methodist Episcopal church, O
Y the Y NJ. c. A. and the Y M. C. A
D male chorus and Bible class, O
< the Ottumwa Boat club and o
e Company &C." l. N. G., having riser
from private to sergeant in the mill
e tary organization since his enlistment
It The members of the immediate ia
e mily who survive him are as follows
r. The parents, Mr.. and Mrs. Josiah P
If Lesan, of 81 North Court street; twt
ii brothers, Harry E., formerly of this
IS city, and now president of the H. E
c Lesan Advertising Co., of st. Louis
il and Robert, who resides with his pa
+. rents: and three sisters, Mrs. A. Hoff
If man, Of Courtenay, North Dakota, ant
S. Misses Jessie and Ella. of this city
The funeral was conducted at tn,
e family residence at o'clock thu
k morning, and was private for tn
members of the family an,
lie personal friends of the deceased
j, The services We're in charge OF DR.. A
r e. Craig, pastor of the First Methc
h. dist Episcopal church, and Rev. D. F
TX Sellards. pastor of the Davis stree
Christian church. Rev. Sellards is al
old friend Of the family, having resid
ed in Mt. Ayr during the youthful
days of the deceased. Music wa
III furnished by the Y. NJ. C. A
male quartet The pallbearer
who took charge of the re
+. mains from the house to the hears
,e were members of the Y. NJ. c. A. che
" rus ant employees in the Office of Johl
Ie Morrell & Co. They were:
n, c. f. McElroy. N. c. CHM Chas
Ell Farrell c. E. Bedell, l.. T. Witter an
h. j. A. Walker.
N The funeral procession and the BIT
Is rial ceremony were in charge of Con
"a pany C. The casket was draped il
liz an American flag and covered wit
Of floral offerings. The flag was burie
Id with the remains. The entire comps
Il ny formed the escort, the pallbearer
he being the sergeants, C. E. Caughlar
= c. E. Schamp. N. S. Manro. job
Meier, E. r. Mitchell and Color Sci
is geant j. Frank Kerfoot. The order O
as the procession was as follows: Wape