J. F. Colee (1929)

COLEE

Posted By: Volunteer Transcriber
Date: 5/28/2020 at 08:56:34

The Guthrie Times
Guthrie Center, Iowa
Thursday, March 7, 1929
Page 3, Columns 4 & 5

(From Adel News)

J. F. Colee, 52 years old, was burned to death in a fire which destroyed his home at Dexter late Sunday night. An air of mystery and a multitude of rumors surround the tragedy and the facts will probably not be known until after the coroners jury makes an investigation Thursday afternoon.

The fire was discovered by neighbors about midnight and members of the volunteer fire department of Dexter made a determined effort to save the property. The lights in the lower part of the house were burning when the flames were first seen and there were so many rumors that a thorough investigation will be conducted. Coroner L. H. DeFord of Redfield and J. E. DeFord of Adel, went to Dexter Monday and impanelled a jury composed of W. H. Kalbach, M. D. Wheeler and John Love.

Mr. Colee was a farmer who operated a farm northwest of Dexter. He lived alone. His wife is supervisor of music in the high school at Grundy Center and one daughter makes her home there. Another daughter is a college student.

When the fire, which started apparently in an upstairs room, was discovered, there was little chance to save the building. A group of men including Robert Crazer, Walter Blohm, George Sulgrove, George Lenocker, Tim Marchant, Hugh Knight and F. W. Ainsworth were fighting the fire and Crazer and Blohm were working near a first floor window when the ceiling gave way and contents of the upper floor crashed through. They were horrified to see the body of a man in the debris and quickly pulled him out. The body proved to be the badly charred remains of Colee. He was fully dressed. Later investigations brought out the fact that an electric iron had been found among some bedsprings but the springs came from a room in another part of the house.