Jackson County IA Archives Obituaries.....Steil, John P. April 22, 1927
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Ken Wright wright@prestontel.com January 28, 2011, 9:26 pm

Bellevue Herald, Apr. 26, 1927
Bellevue Herald, April 26, 1927

John P. Steil, 73, was killed by a heavy explosion from dynamite  Saturday 
afternoon while blasting out stumps on the Cornelius farm about 9 miles west 
of Bellevue. Early Monday morning two neighbors went to borrow some dynamite 
caps from Steil who lived in a cabin on the place, and being unable to find 
him, they looked around and discovered the body. It is thought by neighbors 
that the accident happened about 5 o’clock Saturday afternoon as a 
particularly loud explosion was hears at that time and no more shots were 
heard afterwards. The body was found about 25 feet away from the hole in the 
ground where the charge exploded and theory is that Mr. Steil thought the 
charge was not going to explode and approached the stump too soon. The body 
was badly mangled. The top of the head was blown off, both arms were badly 
shattered, one leg broken and there were bruises all over the body. The dead 
man’s watch was found in the deep excavation, an odd circumstance, as the body 
was fully 25 feet away.

Coroner Ristine was called and a coroner’s jury was impaneled which rendered a 
verdict that Mr. Steil was accidentally killed by a heavy blast of dynamite. 
The body was removed to the home of Fred Blitgen, a nephew. John Peter Steil, 
the son of Jacob and Barbara Steil, was born in Germany in 1854 and came to 
America in 1861 with his parents and settled in Jackson county. He was a 
member of Saints Peter and Paul’s church at Springbrook. He is survived by 
three brothers, Nick, Peter and Fred; four sisters, Mrs. Lena Blitgen of 
Bellevue, Mrs. Margaret Becker of Maquoketa, Mrs. J. P. Murphy of Chicago and 
Mrs. Margaret Fisk of Goldhill, Oregon. Funeral services were conducted 
yesterday afternoon at 4:30 from Saints Peter and Paul’s church at 
Springbrook, the Rev. Father Knapstein officiating. Burial was made in the 
church cemetery.



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