This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/ihB.2ACI/4299 Message Board Post: Sweetwater Enterprise, (Monroe Co.TN) December 1, 1870: "State News---The Greenville National Union of last week says: “On last Thursday evening, Willie Burchfield, about 14 or 15 years old, son of Mrs. Nancy Burchfield, was killed at Dr. B.D. Harold’s in this county. The Dr. was having his wheat crop threshed out, one of his hands was taking the straw away from the machine with a very sharp fork, and passing it up to some boys who were packing it away in the barn. It is supposed this little boy Willie was stooping to gather up an arm full of straw while the man with the fork was in the act of putting up a fork full. One prong of the fork entered the right eye passing into the brain, instantly paralyzing the little fellow’s right side. He never spoke, lingering several hours in terrible agony, dying about 10 o’clock p.m. There was no external wound, the eye-ball was not injured, and only one drop of blood, one tear of blood trickled down his cheek. This sa death is the more distressing as Willie! was just arriving at an age and strength to help his widowed mother.”