The Story of Lost Lynn: Part 1

This is the first of a series about Lynn Walker Westaby, my children's paternal great-grandmother's uncle. When their great-grandmother was still alive, she told me about her Uncle Lynn, who had a short and tragic life. Although he never married nor had children, he is worth remembering. Come along with me as I tell the story of Lost Lynn.

Lynn Walker Westaby was the youngest child of George "Rice" Westaby, II and Rebecca Catherine Snook's family of seven children, six of whom survived infancy. He was born 27 November 1904 in Montana, probably in or near Forsyth, Rosebud County.¹ He was a handsome boy with a mischievous smile, and surely he was the darling of his four older brothers--George III, Guy, Charles, and Reuben--and his older sister, Izma.^{2, 3} (His parents' first child, a little girl named Clarice Orvilla who was born 22 August 1889, died in infancy.)⁴ Keeping with the tradition of giving their children family names, Rice and Rebecca gave Lynn the middle name Walker in honor of his maternal grandmother's surname.⁵

Lynn Walker Westaby, c. 1906, Forsyth, Rosebud County, Montana
Original photo scanned in by author in 2014 from the collection of Troy W. Midkiff, Vancouver, Washington.

When Lynn was only 6 1/2 years old, a terrible accident left him injured for life. One Saturday around noon on the first day of April, he and a number of friends attempted to jump on the swiftly moving freight train at the elevator crossing and ride to the schoolhouse as it headed east. A work train had just unloaded several piles of cinders beside the tracks. Being little, Lynn could only grasp the bottom rung of the ladder attached to the freight car. As he hung there swinging, he was knocked under the train by one of the piles as they rode by. The train crushed his foot just above the ankle as it rolled over him.

He was taken to the doctor. His foot was so badly crushed there was no repairing it. The only way to save his leg and his life was to have the injured foot amputated.^6,7 This must have been a horrible experience; both the traumatizing accident and the resulting amputation. However, there was a great deal of spunk in the little boy. Only a month later the local paper reported "Lynn Westaby, the little fellow who lost a foot by falling under the cars last month, is able to be out again with the aid of crutches."⁸

And just a few days before Christmas, this intelligent child who celebrated his seventh birthday only a month earlier, would stand in front the congregation of the Methodist Episcopal Church one evening and recite Clement Clarke Moore's poem, "The Night Before Christmas" as part of the Sunday School program!⁹

Sources:

1. Westaby Family Notes, MS (No place: no date); privately held by Helen Mary (Westaby) Midkiff Tucker, Sunnyside, Washington, c. 1980s. A handwritten copy was made by her grandson, Michael J. Midkiff [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE], Spokane, Washington, c. 1980s. Whereabouts of the original manuscript is unknown after 8 November 1997, the date of Helen Tucker’s death.

2. 1910 U.S. Census, Rosebud County, Montana, population schedule, School District No. 4 Forsyth, p. 26B, dwelling 314, family 341, R. Westaby household; Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 February 2025), image 47 of 56; citing NARA microfilm publication T624, roll 835.

3. Westaby Family Notes.

4. Ibid.

5. Ibid.

6. “Child Loses Foot Jumping on Trains,” The Billings Gazette (Billings, Montana), 2 April 1911, p. 3 col. 6; Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 18 February 2025). Note this article incorrectly states Lynn’s age as seven years old.

7. “Westaby Boy Hurt,” Forsyth Times-Journal, (Forsyth, Montana), 6 April 1911, p. 8, col. 3; Newspapers.com (accessed 18 February 2025).

8. “Is Improving Rapidly,” Forsyth Times-Journal, 4 May 1911, p. 1, col. 7, Newspapers.com (accessed 18 February 2025).

9. “Program of Exercises: Methodist Episcopal Sunday School Will Have Entertainment Dec. 23,” Forsyth Times-Journal, 21 December 1911, p. 6, col. 4, Newspapers.com (accessed 18 February 2025).

Steve Goes to Reform School

Back in October, I wrote about how my children's paternal ancestor reportedly blew up the local schoolhouse and that his younger sons took the fall so that their father could stay home and continue to support his large family. The newspaper articles I shared then showed there was some truth to the story, although it seems to have played out somewhat differently than the family story stated.

I discovered three more newspaper articles in the Bonners Ferry Herald at Newspapers.com as a follow up to where I left off. The first was a short mention in the Local News section about the hearing for the younger son, Stephen.

Untitled news item, Bonners Ferry Herald (Bonners Ferry, Idaho), 22 September 1916, p. 4, col. 4; digital image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : 30 October 2024).

The continued hearing in the case of the state against Stephen Martin, charged with being a juvenile delinquent, was heard by Probate Judge O'Callaghan last Monday. Judge O'Callaghan took the case under advisement and will render a decision Monday.

The following week a Herald journalist wrote these paragraphs which appear to be not just reporting  Stephen's sentencing, but an op-ed piece about the County Auditor:

"County Business Plus Politics," Bonners Ferry Herald (Bonners Ferry, Idaho), 29 September 1916, p. 10, col. 1; digital image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : 12 November 2024).  

County Business Plus Politics

Stephen Martin, who on Monday in Judge O'Callaghan's court was held to be a juvenile delinquent and who was ordered committed to the Idaho State Industrial cshool [sic] at St. Anthony, left last evening for the state school in the custody of County Auditor Stanley.

Just at this time this comes as an interesting bit of news owing to the fact that recently the county auditor alleged the duties of his office required two deputies (at a total salary of $150 monthly) and that he could not get along with less help. Nevertheless the county auditor finds time to assume the role of state land appraiser upon occasions and to act as a guard when an opportunity presents itself to visit other towns of the state, presumably at the expense of the county, all of which needs but little explanation when it is remembered that Mr. Stanley is the democratic nominee for congressman. The trip to St. Anthony should give Auditor Stanley a good chance to look after his political fences.

The final article I found was a notice published also on 22 September 1916 by the Martins' neighbor, John V. Witt, who you may recall reported in the article "Ike Martin Freed By Jury" that "Sunday evening someone fired a bullet from a high-power rifle through the front door of his house, the bullet passing a little over the head of his sleeping baby. On Monday Mrs. Witt was badly frightened when the clothes she was hanging up to dry were peppered with shot from a shotgun." The insinuation was that it was the Martins doing the shooting.

"Notice to Hunters in Katka District," Bonners Ferry Herald (Bonners Ferry, Idaho), 22 September 1916, p. 6, col. 1; digital image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : 30 October 2024).

Notice to Hunters in Katka District

On and after this date there shall be no hunting upon the ground enclosed by my fence as I have taken notice that some people haven't sufficient brains to use a gun with safety to the general public.  I have to take these precautions to protect the lives of my wife and baby. Any person or persons found hunting on my premises will be prosecuted.

 September 15, 1916

(Signed) JOHN V. WITT.  tf 

 

I had not heard of the Idaho State Industrial School, so I did a Google search. Sometimes called the Idaho State Reform School, it was located in St. Anthony, Fremont County, Idaho. Founded in 1903, it housed wayward youth in conditions so bad that reportedly, some inmates chose to take their own lives. A Wikipedia article discusses the Women's Dormitory which is now on the National Register of Historic Places. A PDF document published by the Idaho Historical Society details the nomination of the dormitory to the National Register. The Men's Dormitory likely looked similar.

I wondered if Stephen was still an inmate when the 1920 Federal Census was taken four years later, but reviewing the census records for the school, line by line, did not yield his name. In fact, I could not find him at all on this census, any where in the United States, even in his parents' home. By 1920, the Martin family had moved to Kahlotus, Franklin County, Washington, over 200 miles southwest of their former home in Katka, Idaho.¹ They had sold their home in 1919² and moved to Washington; whether it was because of the neighborhood tensions or because Frank's job as a "railroad boss", or perhaps both. It's likely that Stephen had served his time and had moved on. 

P.S. Check out the link in the second source below to see a 1910 photo postcard of the Martin's home in Katka and a short article from the Bonner County Historical Society & Museum. Steve is likely the smallest boy on the left wearing overalls.

Sources:

1. 1920 U.S. census, Franklin County, Washington, population schedule, Kahlotus Precinct, p. 1B, dwelling 21, family 21, Frank J. Martin household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 March 2014), image 2 of 9.

2. ---, "From the Archives," Bonners Ferry (Idaho) Herald, 16 September 1921; digital image, BonnersFerryHerald.com (https://bonnersferryherald.com/news/2021/sep/16/archives-sept-16-2021: accessed 4 February 2025).