CHURCH JOHNSON

JOHNSON, DUNBAR

Posted By: Nancee Seifert (email)
Date: 1/28/2010 at 15:27:30

Decatur County Journal
Leon, Iowa
Thursday, September 18, 1913

CHURCH JOHNSON, aged eighty years, was burned to death in a fire that
destroyed the farm home of his nephew, OL DUNBAR, nine miles west of Lamoni,
about 3 o'clock Monday morning.

Mr. DUNBAR, a hired man and the former's uncle, Mr. JOHNSON, were sleeping
upstairs. Mr. DUNBAR and the hired man were awakened by the smoke and
leaped from an upper window to the ground finding the house almost a mass of
flames. They rushed for a ladder which they expected to place at an
upstairs window in an attempt to rescue the aged man still in the room where
the three men had been sleeping, but the fire had made such progress that
they found the task an impossible one. It is thought that Mr. JOHNSON was
burned to death in the bed in which he was sleeping. He was about eighty
years of age and quite feeble. It is possible that he had tried to make his
escape but owing to his advanced age was unable to do so. Miss LUCY DUNBAR
occupied a room on the lower floor and was able to make her escape. The
only article saved from the fire was a rocking chair. The body of Mr.
JOHNSON was recovered from the ruins of the building as quickly as possible.
The remains were laid at rest in the Zion Cemetery in Riley Township,
Ringgold County, on Tuesday. The unfortunate people have the deep sympathy
of the people.
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Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert
January 28, 2010
iggy29@grm.net

So terrible...