Sidney Beach

On Saturday last about 6 o’clock as a freight train on the Delaware railroad was passing under an overhead bridge near New Castle a brakeman named Sidney Beach, boarding on Third Street between Popular and Lombard, this city, and whose home is in Delmar, met with a serious accident which will very likely  prove fatal.  Beach was standing on top of a box car with his back to the bridge and it struck him on the base of brain, crushing in the back of his head and knocking him on top of the car.  He was immediately seen by some of his fellow trainsmen and was taken into the caboose in an unconscious condition.  He was brought to this city (Wilmington) and taken to his boarding house.  Dr. Draper was summoned and did all he could to relieve the man. Last night he was resting easily, but no hopes are entertained of his recovery.    

Above The Morning News September 6 1886

Sidney recovered from the head trauma but was never quite right after it.  It was no doubt a major cause of his alcohol problems that continued up until his death in 1926.

Articles such as this 1906 one appeared about Sidney;

Sidney Beach was in another drunken rampage Saturday of last week and was arrested in Maryland and fined one dollar and costs for disorderly conduct which he paid.  Then he went back to Delaware; threaten to burn the property of W B Marvil, for which he was again arrested; taken before Justice James H, Tyre and in default of a five thousand dollar bail was committed to Georgetown Jail.

Sidney was the son of Isaiah and Irene Culver Beach.  Isaiah was a farmer, builder and contractor.  They had a large family.  Known adult children; Joseph, Thomas, Harvey, Kendal, Mary, Sophronia, Amy, Annie and Lola Mae.

In 1884 his father Isaiah Beach whipped a mulatto, Robert Morris, nearly to death.  In 1887 Robert Morris returned the favor by stabbing Isaiah in the stomach.  In 1908 while sleepwalking at his daughters house (Mrs Ralph (Amy) Ellis) he walked off the second story porch and the fall killed him.   

His brother Harvey in 1910 tried to commit suicide with Laudanum while living at his sister’s, Mrs. C. P. Ellis (Sophronia), house.