Individual Details

Marriage

obit June 1925

Death

Obituary

Monticello residents were grieved and shocked to learn of the death of their assistant postmaster, John H Bell, who was found Monday morning about 1 am in the Sorenson Marsh, some six or seven miles west of Monticello. John had left quite early in the morning, alone, to hunt ducks, intending to be back in time for dinner. When late afternoon came and he had not returned, Mrs Bell became worried and called her brothers, Donald and Egbert Wildman, to try and find him. They went out to the Sorenson Marsh and found the car parked there, but not a trace of Mr Bell. After calling him and shouting and searching for him to no avail, they came back to Monticello, and organized a searching party, also notifying Sheriff Kritzeck, of Buffalo, of Bell's disappearance.
Twenty five to thirty men and the Sheriff with three boats and other equipment, went out to search the marsh, and finally after many hours of searching through the icy water and mud, they came upon the body. John has taken a pair of mud skis with him to use in hunting through the marsh lands, and had evidently lost his balance, falling from the skis, became mired in the mud, and died from exposure and over exhaustion in trying to fight his way out. The body was slumped forward, and part of the face was in the water. It took several men to get the body out of the mud. The sheriff was called back to Buffalo at 10;30, due to an accident, but gave searchers permission to move the body to Monticello, where coroner Roholt of Waverly pronounced death as caused from exposure and over exhaustion.
Mr Bell will be sadly missed in the community where he had gained so many friends. The whole community joins us in extending deepest sympathy to the bereaved.
John Harold Bell, son of John D Bell and Etta Bell of Monticello was born January 27 1901 at Big Lake, MN. He attended grade school at Big Lake and later moved with his parents to farm the West Prairie Road. He graduated from Monticello high school in 1919 and was then employed as bookkeeper at the Farmer's Shipping Association here, later advancing to the managership.
On June 17, 1925 he was married to Floy A Wildman, and to this union two children were born, Duane Allen and Helen Louise.
At the time of his death he was employed as assistant postmaster at the Moticello Post Office... Interment was made at Riverside Cemetery.