John Vittengl

VITTENGL

Posted By: Sharon Elijah (email)
Date: 6/9/2018 at 08:44:12

13 October 1921 - West Branch Times

John Vittengl left his home, two miles southwest of Cedar Bluff, a little after one o'clock Friday and drove to Plato, where he either cashed a check or borrowed some money, and from there went to Cedar Valley, where he repeated the transaction, and when he left the latter place is reported to have had a little more than twenty dollars. Somewhere between there and Tipton he is believed to have purchased a two-gallon jugful of home made liquor, paying $10 a gallon for it. About 5 o'clock he left here for home and proceeded as far as Brennan's, when he was observed to be driving very unsteadily and was stopped with a view to preventing an accident. On being taken out of the car and placed on the lawn he sank into a stupor, from which he could not be aroused, and realizing the gravity of his condition Dr. VanMetre was telephoned for, but did not arrive until after death had ensued. The doctor, after a thorough examination of the body, had no difficulty in determining the cause of death to have been alcoholism; and if any further proof had been needed besides the plainly marked symptoms a two-gallon jug with two or three quarts of the vilest kind of liquor still in it was found in the car, making it altogether probable that Vittengl had drank a large quantity of the stuff before being overcome. The body was brought to the McCormick & Wills undertaking rooms, where it was kept until the next day and then taken over to the late home. There being no apparent ground for questioning the cause of death it was not considered necessary to hold an inquest, and that formality was dispensed with. The deceased was 36 years of age and is survived by a wife and four children.

The funeral was held at the family home at 2:30 Monday afternoon, with a large number of people in attendance.--Tipton Conservative