SHELBY COUNTY OHIO OBIT
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Sidney Democrat, Feb. 10, 1905

Joseph Rich, a Civil War Veteran, Found Dead Thursday Morning

Joseph Rich, a veteran of the civil war, was found dead at his home at the south
end of Enterprise Street Thursday Morning.

Rich had been living alone for some time and always made regular trips up town
for groceries every few days to Henry Albers' grocery. As he had not been at the 
grocery since last Friday Mr. Albers missed him and this morning started an 
investigation. He went to Rich's home but could not get in and then reported the 
matter to Rich's brother-in-law, Philip Smith. Mr Smith went to the house and as 
he found all the doors and windows locked, got Jerome Todd, who lives nearby, to 
break a window and climb in. A most forlorn and poverty stricken sight met his 
eyes. Rich was found in his hovel lying prostrate on the floor with his head 
under the stove. He had been dead for several days and his legs and arms were 
frozen stiff. The other parts of his body were not frozen, but badly frosted.

Coroner Costolo was notified, went to the house, made an investigation about the
place and then ordered the body to be taken in charge by an undertaker. The Coroner will hold his inquest Friday afternoon.

Rich had not been seen about town for several days and as he had no particular
friends no one paid much attention to this until he began to fail to show up at 
Mr. Albers' grocery. He lived in abject poverty and the room where he slept was 
the most filthy and poverty stricken place that could be imagined. The bed was a 
perfect mass of dirt and filth and the same can be said fo the entire interior 
of the room. He either died suddenly  from heart failure or had gotten out of 
his bed to get warm and fell over striking his head against the corner of the 
stove, as a he had a bad bruise on one side of his head, which rendered him 
unconscious and he died from the cold before he recovered. One side of his 
face seemed burned as if he had rubbed it against the stove. 

Rich served in the 20th Ohio Regiment during the civil war and had been drawing
a pension of $12 a month for several years.

(Rest of obituary is cut off - details funeral service.)

Submitted by Karen Kuntz Williams