Charles S. Coffey, 1871-1891

Charles S. Coffey was the young son of Smith and Martha R. Smith Coffey of Caldwell Co., NC. He was born there on July 4, 1871 and died there 20 years and one month later in a brutal accident at the furniture factory where he was employed.

The following report of the accident reports on that accident and the terrible trauma suffered by the young man:

"Yesterday about one o'clock the startling news came up town that a young man had been killed at the furniture factory.  The fact was that Charles Coffey, son of Smith Coffey, Esq., of King's Creek, a young workman at the factory had been caught up by a pulley and the band working on it drawn rapidly up over the pulley between it and the beam about a foot and a half above it, whirled once rapidly around the pulley and again between it and the end and hurled from the top of the pulley against the wall opposite to it to in and about six feet away. Almost by a miracle he was not killed but he was terribly mangled and his chances of life are slim.  His right arm was torn off about three inches below the shoulder; his left leg was broken just above the ankle; his right leg broken just below the knee, several ribs on the right side were crushed and one of his lungs lacerated; and he was badly bruised in other portions of his body and his nervous system was greatly shocked."

Sources: 

This report was found in the Aug. 7, 1891, Vol. 7, Page 4 issue of The Asheville Daily Citizen, Asheville, NC, 

Find-A-Grave Memorial No. 148356788 credits the news to the Lenoir Topic, local newspaper.