FLANAGAN

Posted by Cathy Gowdy on Sunday, November 04, 2007 at 15:07:42 :

Marin Journal
Thursday, June 3, 1926
Page 5

Michael Flanagan’s Death Mystery Solved

The mystery surrounding the death of Michael Flanagan, employee of the St. Vincent’s orphanage, who died at Ross hospital from a fractured skull, was solved when Fred C. Steurmer, driver of one of the Sonoma Valley-Sausalito stages of which his brother, Walter Stuermer and J. Valente are owners, visited Sheriff Keating and laid before him the details of the accident which caused the man’s death.

He stated that Flanagan was a passenger on his stage a week ago and that when the stage reached the station of the orphanage on the highway, Flanagan alighted before the vehicle came to a stop and fell, striking on his head but not appearing to be badly hurt.

Mr. Steurmer did not know that his passenger was the man who had died until he saw his body after death. The stage was going at a rate of about five miles an hour when the man stepped off. A passenger told Stuermer that the man had fallen and Steurmer ran back, but Flanagan had already regained his feet and was walking away. Mr. Steurmer was exonerated from all blame.

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Note: the Marin Death Index gives his date of death as May 26, 1926.