The fate of James Posey was in doubt for almost 2 years. On 17 February 1920 it was thought that he was knocked off a railroad bridge that he was inspecting by a train backing up. He would have fallen into the icy Wabash River. Searches were made of the river and surrounding banks for signs of him after the accident, but nothing was found. At some point the search was called off and May (Peggy Ann Mae) Posey was left with no definitive evidence that her husband had died. Then on 3 February 1922 a decomposed body was found. The following is an article in the Daily Republican-Register of Mount Carmel, Illinois, published Friday, 4 February 1922 on page 1.
BODY IS THAT OF JAMES POSEY
Southern Bridge Watchman Who Was Drowned Two Years Ago Found.
IDENTITY IS FIXED
By Rubber and Articles of Clothing – Found in Drift Along River Above Grayville
The decomposed body of a man found in a drift not far from the Wabash river in the south part of Wabash county, about two miles above Grayville, Friday afternoon, has been identified as that of James Posey, Southern bridge watchman, who was struck by a freight train and knocked into the Wabash river one night about dark two years ago.
The body was found by accident by a boy and the discovery was reported to Sheriff J.S. Rigg, who delegated Judge H.J. Henning to conduct the inquest, in place of Coroner George H. Wilson, who is ill and unable to take charge of the case.
The body was found lying in a drift in a low pool in an out of the way section of the bottoms. It was face down. The flesh was gone from the face, a full set of false teeth was visible. The nose was gone. The clothing was a mass of rotted cloth. Chunks of flesh had fallen off the body. The upper part of the head and forehead had decayed least.
On the right foot was a rubber over shoe. The left foot had no rubber on it. At the time he was knocked from the bridge Posey wore rubbers. One of them was left on the bridge, apparently caught some way when he fell. It was the left one. This rubber was compared with the one on the right foot of the corpse and was beyond doubt its mate, the serial numbers and name of manufacturer corresponding.
Then Posey wore two belts, one of which was a money belt and in which he had a considerable amount of money when he disappeared. The two belts were on him. The body was in such shape that at the time this was written it was not determined whether the money blet had any money in it.
Thus it is established beyond any doubt that the body is that of James Posey.
In the drift in which the body was found were also a dead animal or two, which had likely also floated into the low section of ground.
The body was in such an out of the way place it was necessary to get a wagon to haul it out to the gravel road. There it was taken charge of by Walter & Sons and brought to their undertaking rooms (Continued on page 6)
here to be prepared for burial.
Judge Henning acting as coroner, as soon as he saw the body, expressed the belief that it was that of James Posey. The jury members were unable to determine who the body was at the time of investigation, or how long the person had been dead. The verdict expressed the belief that death had occurred at least a year ago.
The coroner’s jury was composed of T.F. Butler, foreman, Edgar Moore, Ed Coale, G.D. Knuckles, Tobe Rigors and William N. Williams.
The finding of the body and its identification as that of James Posey ends rumors that have been in circulation here that he had been seen in California and that he was not knocked into the river at all. Little credence was given to these rumors.
Posey was a veteran of the Civil war. At the time he was knocked into the river the stream was high and full of floating ice. Trainmen said they heard him call out apparently as he was hit and fell into the water. The train was backing up on the bridge and he evidently was not expecting this.
Mrs. Posey viewed the body today and identified it as that of Mr. Posey.
Search was made for it in the Wabash at the time, but no trace found of it.
Following the arrival in the city this afternoon of Roscoe Willard, son of Mrs. Posey, the money belt found around the deceased’s body was opened. In it were found $340, or seventeen $20 bills. Fifteen of them were almost in a perfect state of preservation and were almost good as new when dried out.
One pocket in the belt had rotted off. It is supposed to have contained the remainder of the total of $750 Mr. Posey is believed to have carried at the time he met his death. The money and papers from this pocket not doubt were long ago lost in the water and perhaps have disappeared never to be found again.
Mr. Posey’s death occurred on the night of Feb. 17, 1920. The freight train by which he was struck had failed to make the Key’s hill grade. It backed up to get a fresh start for the grade. Mr. Posey, not knowing it was coming was backed upon until it was too late to escape, and was caught and knocked from the bridge.
During the day hundreds of people called at Walter & Sons’ to view the body.
It was announced this afternoon that the funeral will be held Sunday afternoon at 2:30 o’clock from Walter’s funeral parlors, in charge of Rev. Campbell, and burial will be beside the bodies of his sons in the Sand Hill cemetery.