Rensselaer Republican, Volume 15, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 February 1883 — Obituary. [ARTICLE]

Obituary.

Died, Friday, Feb., 16, 1883, at the residence of his wife’s father, the Hon. G. H. Brown, in Rensselaer, of pulmonary consumption, in the 27th year of his age John G. Kerr. Mr. Kerr was married to Miss Isabelle Brown on the 25th of September last. The day following lie started with his bride for California intending to visit relatives of the latter at Red Bluffs, Oroville and other points, and to spend the honey-moon among the Wonders of the Golden state. At Red Bluffs the dread disease from which he died, and which had probaly long been doing its fatal and insidious work, first made its presence known by an attack of hemorrhage of the lungs. He was removed to Oroville where he lay for some time at the point of death but finally rallied sufficiently to undertake the. journey homeward. He reached Rensselaer some two weeks before his death. During the journey and for a day or two after his arrival his condition appeared to be very encouraging. But the improvement was. fitful and delusive, as is characteristic of the disease, arid his decline was, in the main, constant and rapid until the end. The funeral took place Saturday from the Christian church and was conducted by Elder D. T. Halstead. The remains were buried in Weston Cemetery.

Found Dead. —On Thursday last the county coronor Mr. F. J. Sears received a telegram from Remington saving that a dead body had been found on the street there and requesting him to come at once to hold an inquest. The dispatch was not received until noon and had been four hours on the way. Mr. Sears started across the country for lie rain gton arriving there about three o’clock and found that an investigation as to the cause and circumstances of the death had been going on for several hours. The dead man’s name was Thomas Watson, his occupation a laborer. He was found early Thursday morning lying upon his back, dead, but a short distance from his house. The evidence at the inquest showed that the deceased had been drinking considerably the night before, although actual intoxication was not proven. The last seen of him alive was about ten o’clock Wednesday evening when he left one of the saloons to go, as was supposed, to his home. The position and condition of his body when found the following morning would seem to indicate, clearly enough, that the deceased had slipped and fallen backward upon the ice and striking the back of Ilia head so heavily ns to cause temporary unconsciousness, and feo violent an attack bf vomiting, as to produce strangulation and death. The verd ct of the coroner’s jury was in accordance with the facts as above set forth. Watson leaves a wife and several children. He was a brother of E. H. Watson, of Rensselaer.