Wilson, Shelby died 1910

WILSON

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg - volunteer (email)
Date: 10/23/2015 at 15:54:34

Alton Democrat August 6, 1910

The Boyden Reporter has the following to say of the affair. Wednesday night Marshal Stutzman was
called out to Bert Wagner's to get Shelby Wilson who was intoxicated and practically crazy. He went out and got him with the assistance, of Frank Connell and placed him in the village lookup where he could do no damage. In the night he must have deliberately set the jail on fire and burned and suffocated himself to death.

Shelby had been in this neighborhood for the past two years working on farms and helping thresh
and has always been considered a fine and clean young man and well thought of by all who ever employed him. A little after midnight George Dean saw flames coming from the caboose and rang up central at once to sound an alarm on the fire bell and then went to the scene of action at once. J. A. Stutzman was there before George and found the flames pouring from the cracks in the door and he badly burned his fingers getting the padlock unlocked. At that time the cell where the corpse lay was not on fire but before the fire was got under control the building was practically destroyed. This is a very deplorable affair but it is one of those things that cannot be helped as it was wholly unexpected

Another section of the paper.
Last week Wednesday Shelby Wilson a young man working for Bert Wagner—became intoxicated and
was taken by Marshal Stutzman and locked up for the night, About eleven-thirty someone in the neighborhood saw flames pouring out of the jail windows. The alarm was given and the fire company was called out but too late. The man inside had been burned to death. His folks who are living in Kentucky were notified and the remains were shipped there Friday. This is certainly a sad affair and will be remembered by the Boyden citizens for some time.