James Harris had only been working for the railroad for about five years when he met his death uncoupling a car and was just 21 when he was killed. He was the main support of his elderly mother. He was buried the day after his death in the St. Mary's Cemetery. At the time of Harris' death there was a bank panic in Illinois that was causing a suppression of business in the area, which is why the article speaks of the "revival of business." The work of the men on the railroad was steady in good times, but if business fell off (such as shipments of cattle or hogs in railroad cars) the men would sit idle and have no pay.