Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 40, Number 75, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 May 1908 — More About Charlie Royce’s Death. [ARTICLE]

More About Charlie Royce’s Death.

Miss Julia Royce, daughter of Rev. and Mrs. C. D. Royce, stopped off in Rensselaer a short time Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, on her way from Indianapolis to Inwood, lowa, where she has been teaching school. She related the particulars, so far as it is known of her brother, Charlie Royce’s, death. He was attending the Moraingside college at Sioux City, lowa, taking a four year’s preparatory course to a college education in medicine, and he had made such excellent progress as to have accomplished during the two years he had been there almost three years work, and with a little study this summer for which he had planned he would have been able tQ complete the four years’ course next year. He was earning his own way largely by working in a drug store. "He slept in a room back of the drug store and It was lighted with a Welsbach burner to a gaslight and one of the balance balls on the light had been broken off, and during the night a light gust of wind had caused the jet to open, and he had died from asphixiation. The proprietor did not come down to the store until about 8 o’clock the next morning and when he found the store still closed he was at once alarmed. The gas jet was known to have been defective and ( the proprietor of the store felt that he was somewhat to blame for the accident. Royce was very popular in college and the entire college was closed for two days, and the funeral which was held there was largely at- | tended and all the girls in the school were dressed in white and his seat j was draped in white mourning. He would have been 20 years of age on Aug 16th.