Ariel C. Brown, 1862-1936

BROWN

Posted By: Emmet County IAGenWeb Coordinator (email)
Date: 7/31/2006 at 07:06:39

August 12, 1936--A. C. Brown, 73, of Estherville, well know retired banker, was almost instantly killed yesterday morning when his car was struck by the Northwestern passenger at the crossing near Burt on highway 169. His car, a five passenger sedan, was struck full in the side by the gas electric train and carried across the cattle guard before the slowly moving train could stop. The train had just left the station and had not gained speed. The crossing was clear and Highwayman C. B. Benedict, who was driving behind Mr. Brown, stated in the coroner's hearing that he could not understand how Brown alone in his car, failed to see the oncoming train.

Mr. Brown's chest was crushed and he sustained a very bad head injury over the eye. Although alive when extricated from the wrecked auto, he passed away before he could be moved. Trainmen and the baggage man said that they had thought that Mr. Brown had slowed up for the crossing and so did not stop for him. Marks in the road would indicate that he had had headed for the ditch but had swung back into the highway again. An infrequent driver, Mr. Brown, had in recent years made very few out of town trips.

The deceased man while not a pioneer of Estherville had lived here with his family for thirty-six years, coming here from West Bend in 1900 to open a wholesale implement building with Walter Crowell. The two story frame building which the firm built in 1899 and occupied stood at the corner of Lincoln and Eighth where the Champlain Oil station now stands and they later built the brick building across the street now occupied by J. T. Johnston. Here the firm established the first wholesale grocery house. Later Mr. Brown was identified with Fred Richmond in the real estate business. It is as a banker, however, that Mr. Brow was most widely known. He owned controlling interest at different times in banking institutions at West Bend, Ottesen, Iowa, Montrey, Ormsby, and Chokio, Minnesota, and for about five years in Chowchilla, Cal. The crash following the world war swept away most of the modest fortune that Mr. Brown had accumulated but he was comfortably located with his wife in their lovely stone home surrounded by a number of acres of land at the east edge of Estherville and found profit and enjoyment in feeding livestock and looks after his farm property.

His keen but kindly and humorous advice will be missed by hundred of friends for his death leaves a gap in the community hard to fill. Mr. Brown was born seventy-three years ago April 20, in Sierceton, Ind. In 1888 he was married to Miss Lulu Gullixson in Humboldt county. Besides his wife, Mr. Brown leaves to mourn his sudden passing two sons, Lee of Gilmore City and Neil of this city, two daughters, Hazel of Estherville and Mrs. Wm. Hagens of Casper, Wyo.

Funeral services will be held on Friday afternoon at two, at the home on East Lincoln street. Interment will be made in Oak Hill cemetery.

Mr. Brown was a member of the Masonic Order, a former member of the Esdraelon commandry. He had served on the Estherville city council.

Contributed by: Linda Ziemann, Iowa Old Press IAGenWeb Special Project Coordinator, http://iowaoldpress.com/