1900-DEATH-OBITUARY: "Montesano Vidette", Fri., 10 Aug 1900, pg 1 - Story of death:

George S. Watson, a well known citizen of Montesano, was accidentally killed on Thursday, 9 Aug 1900 at 11:30 a.m., by a runaway team. He was hauling a load a puncheon out of the forest to the north of town when his team became frightened and got away from him, throwing him off the load and into the front gearing of the wagon. Death must have been instantaneous. His neck was broken, a deep gash was cut in the back of his head, ....the lower jaw was crushed, several bruises were made on his face and the large bone in the right arm was fractured.

The accident was witnessed only by two boys, both his grandsons, and the incidents that transpired leading up to their grandfather's death cannot be clearly told by them. Mr. Watson had made one trip for a similar load and was returning with the second. He was accompanied by his little grandson, Jasper Fry, who was riding on the load with him. As they were coming down the skid road, now being used by Mobray & Perkins, and when within a few hundred feet of where the logs are loaded onto the trucks, the animals became frightened and ran very fast. The boy jumped off shortly after they started. Mr. Watson made all effort possible to stop the fleeing animals, but he could not check them. They ran to near the pile of logs lying near the foot of the skidway and went over a four embankment. The boys say they saw the wagon turn over and their grandfather went over with the load. Nearby Clarence Garner, another grandson was working, and when he saw the accident he ran over to the upturned wagon. The aged man was dead. He was lying in between the single tree and horses. It is thought when the wagon struck the stump near that point the horses wheeled around and caught Mr. Watson in the gearing just as he fell off the load.

The body was taken to Undertaker Kesterson's rooms on Main street, where it was prepared for burial and later in the day it was transferred to his late residence near the Scofield bridge in the eastern part of the city. Funeral from the First Presbytarion Church at 3 p.m. today; burial in Montsano cemetery.

The deceased was born in Floyd County, Indiana, Sep 1836. His father was J. C. Watson of that county and when he was small his parents emigrated to Iowa, residing near Chariton, where he lived till 1872 when the family moved to Beloit, Kansas. At Chariton he married Miss Sarah Miller, the daughter of J. C. Miller, who moved with him to Kansas. They remained there till 1883 when they came to this place. He lived for awhile at Centralia where he conducted a milk ranch and after coming to this place was connected with logging camps in one capacity or another. Two brothers survive him, Charles W. Watson of Montesano, and Richard H. Watson of Beloit, Kansas. A wife and ten children also survive, to wit: John, Charley, Frank, and George; Mrs. Henderson Garner, Mrs. Jasper Fry, Mrs. Louis Holbourn, Mrs. Samuel Larson, and Misses Belle, Louise and Lette all of Montesano. Deceased was a member of the Christian church for a number of years and was one of the most highly respected citizens of the city.