W. N. Hoover, owner and operator of Hoover distillery north east of the city was instantly killed this morning while at work in his fermenting room at the distillery.

He had evidently been fixing some supports for the shafting. The machinery was in motion and a bolt screw on a pulley caught in the clothing of the old gentleman and pulled him down whirling him over on the floor and against the side of the house in such a manner as to bend the head backward against the back thus breaking his neck. Death was evidently instantaneous. The body was hurled into a narrow space between the shafting and the floor and the wall, and it was with the greatest difficulty that is was released. The right shoulder was broken and there were some terrible bruises on various parts of the body.

The old gentleman was alone in the room at the time of the accident and was dead when found. The exact manner in which the accident happened will never be known. There were three other persons in the building at the time of the accident about 11 o'clock, but all were in other parts of the place. A. Roop who had come for the purpose of starting a distillery for Mr. Hoover was in an upper room. Late Lyone was shelling corn and Cal Wooks another employee was at work at other duties. It was noticed that the noise of the running machinery stopped and that the machinery came to a sudden stand still. Investigation disclosed Mr. Hoover being caught on the shaft as told above.

The distillery had been standing idle for a number of years and preparations and arrangements had been but recently made for the reopening of the property for the distillation of spirits. The machinery had been started Tuesday morning and the first work was to have been done.

The body was placed on a cot to await the coming of the coroner, Eugene Cheesman. Upon the arrival of the officer, the man was taken to his residence a short distance from the distillery.

The deceased was about 56 years of age and leaves a wife and two sons, Charles and Herman Hoover.

The coroner decided that the cause of death being so apparent, no inquest was necessary.