JOSEPH BROWN (dod: 5-17-1898)

BROWN

Posted By: County Coordinator (email)
Date: 5/9/2020 at 19:28:28

JOE BROWN DEAD
Death Comes Suddenly to a Well-known Resident of Cherokee

Joseph Brown, the barber, was found dead in a room in the rear of his shop under the Cherokee State Bank Tuesday night, shortly before twelve o’clock. Mr. Brown was in the habit of going home after closing his shop, about nine o’clock. This hour had long passed, Tuesday night and becoming alarmed at his non-appearance, his sons, Edward and Joseph, went down town to look for him. They found his shop unlocked and the lights burning. Not finding him in the shop proper, they pursued their search to a room used as a furnace room in the rear of the shop. Mr. Brown was found lying upon the floor near the furnace. The frightened boys went to the street and called for ____. __ Clark, Wm Stone and Night watch ___ton heard the call and responded. The body was taken from the floor and laid upon a work-bench and Dr. Cl___ was summoned. Life was found extinct and no evidences of violence were found except a slight bruise on the head.

Coroner Smyth empaneled a jury consisting of W. Pelton, W. D. Kinney and G.W. Lent, Wednesday, to investigate the cause of death. Drs. C___ and Burlingame conducted a post mortem examination of the body and testified that death resulted from apoplexy. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the testimony of the physicians in the following terms:
State of Iowa, County of Cherokee: An inquisition holden at the city of Cherokee in Cherokee county, on the 18th day of May, 1898, before R. J. Smyth, coroner of said county, upon the body of Joseph Brown there lying dead by the jurors whose names are hereto subscribed the said jurors upon their oats do say after hearing the evidence and examining said body "we do find that the deceased came to his death by a rupture of an artery in the brain, and what is ordinarily called apoplexy.”
W. Pelton
W. D. Kinney
G. W. Lent
H. A. Seavlin, Clerk
R. J. Smyth, Coroner

The deceased was 42 years old. He was born in New York and spent the greater part of his boyhood and early manhood at points in Illinois. He came to Cherokee about fourteen years ago. He leaves a wife and five sons, the oldest about 20 and the youngest, an infant but a few months old.

The funeral will be held at the house tomorrow morning at ten o’clock.

Source: Former Cherokee County Historical Society Scrapbook. Article from Cherokee Weekly Times, dated May 19, 1898. A few parts (noted with blanks) were illegible due to the poor quality of the copy.

Transcriber Note: Find A Grave shows his death date as May 20, 1898 however according to the above news article, his actual date of death was May 17, 1898 and he was buried on May 20, 1898.