MUSCATINE COUNTY IOWA REGISTER OF OLD SETTLERS BOOK ONE

Source: REGISTER OF OLD SETTLERS , BOOK One, page 480
submitted by Ronna Thuman, December 12, 2007

DEATH BY DROWNING
Burrel Loveless met his fate yesterday afternoon.

LIFELESS BODY FOUND IN A BOAT

Shell Gatherers Recover the Skiff and Its Mute Occupant Opposite Pond Lilly Pond—Thought He Received a stroke of Apoplexy and Fell Back-Ward With His Head in the Water.

Matter from Thursday’s Daily:

Drowning of Burrel Loveless.

Burrel Loveless, residing at 319 West Front street, met death yesterday afternoon by drowning in a peculiar manner. Mr. Loveless, who is about 61 years of age, has earned a living during the summer for several years by truck-gardening on the lower end of Durditt’s Island, bringing to the market some of the finest vegetables raised in this neighborhood, and which always found a ready sale. He was at his home yesterday noon and took dinner with the rest of the family, when he appeared in his usual good health. Between 1 and 2 o’clock he started for the island in a skiff, and near the lower dam met his son, who was gathering shells, and with whom he stopped to have a chat. About 2 o’clock he proceeded on up the river, and this was the last been of him alive. At 3 o’clock James Archer and his nephew, W. H. Archer, shell-gatherers, started from the shore a short distance above the upper dam, for the middle of the stream, and had not gone a great distance when the younger Archer discovered a skiff floating down stream a short distance from shore at a point nearly opposite the Pond Lilly Pond, and remarked to his uncle that they had better catch it. They pulled back to shore and coming alongside the boat discovered a man lying in the bottom of the craft, face downward, half his body being in the boat, while his head and shoulders were under water. These gentlemen placed the body in the boat and towed it ashore and notified City Marshal Rice, who called the coroner. Under the orders of this official the remains were removed to Day’s undertaking establishment, where the inquest was held at 7 o’clock last evening, the jury being composed of Albert McBride, Will Schoenig and John B. Rider, who returned a verdict after hearing several witnesses testify that deceased came to his death by accidental drowning.

There were no marks on the body to give the impression of foul play, and as one of the sons testified that his father was a good swimmer, it was the opinion of the doctor and the jury that Mr. Loveless had been taken with a stroke of apoplexy or heart failure and fallen back into the boat, with his head in the water, and drowned.

The boat, when found, was only a few feet from the willows, while the oars had washed ashore. Where the boat was found the water was only about three feet deep.

The deceased was an industrious man and leaves a widow, one daughter and six grown-up sons.

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