Hughes County, SD Obituaries.....Putman, Minnie Conley June 13, 1944
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Ken Wright kenneth565@aol.com January 16, 2010, 9:47 pm

Maquoketa Community Press, June 15, 1944
Maquoketa Community Press, Maquoketa, Iowa, June 15, 1944


The death of Mrs. Ralph Putman,  50, the former Minnie Conley of Bellevue, 
late Tuesday afternoon in a Pierre, South Dakota hospital, brought to three 
the number of dead resulting from what Chief of Police Walter Frazer, of 
Pierre, described as a quarrel between husband and wife.

Mrs. Putman died as the result of burns suffered early Monday evening when her 
husband drenched her with gasoline and ignited it, the chief said. Putman 
fleeing to his home, then shot and killed Policeman Alva Burnett, 54, of 
Pierre who with three other officers were attempting to take him into custody, 
and then killed himself.

Putman and his wife had been quarreling all afternoon when the woman fled to 
the home of friends. Putman trailed her there and threw gasoline over her 
clothing and then set her afire. She died about 22 hours later.

Returning to his home about two blocks away, Putman barricaded himself in the 
residence and four Pierre officers went there and called upon him to 
surrender. Putman tossed a pistol outside and Officer Burnett started inside 
the house when a shotgun blast struck him and killed him outright.

Then Putman fled to the basement and put the shotgun in his mouth, discharging 
it and blowing away part of his head.

The couple operated a filling station and cabin site outside Pierre. Both will 
be buried in Bellevue.


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