Obit of Joseph L. DeLong-Civil War Hero-1900

Obit of Joseph L. DeLong, Civil War Hero from a Kankakee, IL. newspaper.

I have been looking for years for this. It was recently added to his memorial at Findagrave by Roy DeLong.

March 17, 1900

Joseph L. Delong, an esteemed citizen of Bradley, was instantly killed Saturday evening while returning to his home from the republican primary polls.

The only witness to the accident was D. Struder, who stood about ten feet behind Mr. DeLong and who relates the circumstances as follows: He was going to his home on the east side of the Illinois Central tracks. Mr. Delong and himself stopped at the street crossing just north of the depot while a north-bound freight train was passing. Mr. DeLong started across the tracks and was struck by the south-bound New Orleans limited which was running at high speed. Mr. DeLong had just stepped upon the track when he was hit. His body was caught by the pilot and thrown against the boiler and then projected about forty feet where a blood stain marks the spot of this fall. He body was then bounded and rolled about sixty feet further until it stopped under the operator's window in the depot. Mr. Struder says that Mr. DeLong was dead when he got to him.

Mr. DeLong was 61 or 62 years of age. He was born in Ohio where he enlisted and went to the Civil War, in which he served three years. He went to Gilman in the early 70's and engaged in the nursery business. In 1875 he went into the merchandising business in Chatsworth, where he burned out three times. In 1893 he came to Bradley. 

He was of an inventive turn of mind and his business for several years has been that of a salesman on the road, selling a number of ingenious wooden novelties that he invented and had made at Schumacher's shop in Bradley. He was a well educated man and often regretted that he had not fitted himself to one profession. 

Mr. DeLong leaves a wife and four children--Albert, who resides in Iowa; Raymond, night ticket agent for the I.C.R. at Kankakee; Gussie, a teacher in the Bradley public schools and Mary, residing at home. 

Funeral will be in the St. Patrick's church at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning. Members of the GAR are invited to attend.