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Duerr, William died 1905

DUERR, BARKER

Posted By: Reid R. Johnson (email)
Date: 3/28/2016 at 01:06:46

Elkader Register, Thur., 22 June 1905

Last Saturday night Wm. Duerr, of McGregor, and a companion by the name Albert Barker, started from North McGregor with a skiff heavily loaded with groceries and a keg of beer, intending to row to their camp at Lairdville. That was the last seen of them until Sunday forenoon, when parties on a launch discovered a man in an exhausted condition clinging to an ash tree on the river bank, about a mile below the mouth of Yellow river. This proved to be Barker, who, when revived and warmed, told that they got up in the boat in order to exchange places, and the next thing he knew he was struggling in the water. By the time he had reached the tree Duerr was out of sight and the boat was drifting away. Duerr's body was found Tuesday.

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North Iowa Times, Thursday, June 22, 1905

News was received here Sunday of the drowning of William Duerr, near the mouth of Yellow River, about four miles above here. He has been working at wood chopping for J.G. Laird the past several months, and last Saturday night, in company with Al Barker, he came to North McGregor for provisions. They started back with their skiff heavily loaded, and the next known to them, parties in a launch found Barker clinging to the bushes near the bank. He was so nearly exhausted he could not tell a coherent story, but the finding of the boat confirmed part of what he says, that they both fell overboard in changing places.

Searching parties immediately took up the work of dragging for the body of the unfortunate Wm. Duerr, and it was not until Tuesday afternoon, that the body was recovered.

Deceased was born in this city, and has lived here most of his life of over thirty years. His mother, six brothers, and four sisters, mourn his untimely death, and they have the sympathy of all in their sorrow.

Note: burial is in Pleasant Grove cemetery, McGregor

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Burlington Eve. Gazette, Burlington, Iowa, Fri., 30 June 1905

Since the raising of the body of William Duerr to the surface at North McGregor, dark things have developed against his companion, Albert Barker, and although the verdict of the jury was accidental drowning, friends of Duerr are firm in their belief that he was murdered. About 3 o'clock on the finding of Barker hanging to an ash tree on the river bank, a man who lives near the place was passing along and heard quarreling over oars and one man saying to the other, with an oath: "Give me the oars or I'll kill you!" It is supposed now that Barker threw Duerr out of the boat and in doing so, in his drunken condition, overturned the boat.

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Elkader Argus, of the same time period.

An article describing the drowning noted that the two men were brother-in-laws.

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Added by Joy Moore, 3/12/2019:

Source: Decorah Republican June 29, 1905 P4 C1

William Duerr Drowned.
N. I. Times:—News was received here Sunday of the drowning of William Duerr, near the mouth of Yellow River, about four miles above here. He has been working at wood chopping for J G. Laird the past several months, and Saturday night, in company with Al. Bar­ker, he came to North McGregor for provisions. They started back with their skiff heavily loaded, and the next known of them, parties in a launch found Bar­ker clinging to the bushes near the bank. He was so nearly exhausted he could not tell a coherent story, but the finding of the boat confirmed part of what he says, that they both fell overboard in changing places. Searching parties immediately took up the work of dragging for the body of the unfortunate Wm. Duerr, and it was not until Tuesday afternoon that the body was recovered.


 

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