The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1916-01-13

" - ~ ~ 49, So
barn Wednesday afternoon by his
brother in. law. James Pufer.
The unfortunate young mar was
found lying across the sill of the
barn caught in the big door his
body being outside, and his feet in
side the barn. When found his
arms. head and feet were frozen,
but the body was still warm.
DR.. Wallis, county coroner. and
Undertaken Reck. of this city, were
summoned by phone. Their exam.
nation disclosed no bruise or marks
upon the body. Two young colts
we're found in the barn, and a broken
.pitchfork handle vas lying near
The body was brought to this city
and an inquest held at the court
house. The coroner's jury, COM
posed Of G.. H. Carroll, H. W. Wood.
ruff and w. j. Halloween, examined
several witnesses, including the
widow. neighbors and members of
her family, but found no evidence
to indicate that any person was I'M
piicated in the young mans death.
Their verdict was accidental death
from some unknown cause.
His brother. Jesse Van Corp, and
brother-in' law, Mr. Moore. from Os-
kaloosa. Iowa, were present. They
accompanied the remains to iowa
for burial.
The last seen of Harry Van Corp
alive was when he took his wife to
her school, where she teaches, some
two miles from home. at 900 o'clock
Wednesday morning. He told her
that he would return for her at
400 O'Clock D. m. She waited until
4:30, and as he did not come for her
she started to walk home.
The wife's family all live close by.
The Puffers are well-to-do and high
ly respected pioneers of Como twp,
where the parents. Mr. and Mrs
Thomas Puffer have resided for
many wears. A sister, Mrs James
Beranek. whose house is located on
high ground. saw her sister walking
from her school. Wondering why
Harry had not gone after his wife
che phoned to her parents home to
ask the cause.
Her brother. James, answered
that he would 60 over to the Van
Corp home and find out, as none of
them had seen Harry since morning.
He found his brother in. laws BODY
as stated above, and summoned help
The doctor and those who exam.
ined the body say there was no mark
Of any kind to indicate how the
young man came to his death, which
had evidently occurred some hours
before he was found. The most
generally accepted theory is that he
was killed by the young colts found
in the barn, either by squeezing his
life out against the barn. or by kick
ing him in such a way that his cloth.
ing prevented any mark. His posi-
ton when found looked as if his
body had pressed the big rolling
barn door out at the bottom, allow
ing his BODY to fall outside, when
the door swung back and held his
feet inside. His fall, whatever the
cause. must have produced uncon-
sciousness or inability to release
himself from the barn door.
However, the exact cause of the
tragedy is q mystery, and will pro-
badly always remain such.
Harry Van Corp came to this
county about seven wears ago. from
Iowa. in company with Clvde Rug.
genberg, q nephew Of John and Jake
RugRenberg. Of Midland twp. A
strange fate seemed to follow the
two young men. as Clyde was killed
q year ago in an automobile accident
in Canada.
Mr. Van Corp was q barber by
trade. about 81 years Of age, and
conducted q shop in Rec Heights for
. couple Of years. He was married
shout three or four wears ago to
Miss Emma Puffer. q prominent
young teacher Of southwest Hand