**The Date of Death is listed on the Indiana Death Certificate as, "Probably December 21, 1922".
------------------
The Muncie Morning Star, Saturday, July 11, 1931
Identification of the skeleton found Thursday morning in a ventilating shaft in the Central High School as that of Perlie Guelsby, 16, missing since December, 1922, was made positive yesterday by relatives and friends who established the probable motive of suicide.
Graveside funeral services will be conducted at 10 o'clock this morning. Coroner C.G. Piepho is also a funeral director and ha made gratis arrangements for the funeral with the Rev. Arthur W. McDavitt, pastor of St. Johns Universalist Church officiating. J. Elwood Watkins, representing Elm Ridge Cemetery, donated a single lot and the Busch, Russell and Gelts Company, monument dealers, will supply a marker. The casket will be taken from the Moffitt-Piepho funeral home at 9:40 o'clock this morning.
Probably three thousand persons have viewed the remains since they were found by plumbers working at the bottom of the air-shaft and removed to the funeral home. Scores came there hourly yesterday, many of them who had been acquainted with the lad when he worked as a delivery boy for the Mahr merchants' delivery and several men with whom he worked as a boy intend to locate others of the delivery organization so that six of them may be pallbearers today.
Statements that the boy had threatened to run away from his home with Mr. and Mrs. Charles Cooper, 905 Brady street, and that he contemplated killing himself because of treatment he regarded as unjust were heard yesterday by the coroner. The lad came to live with Mr. and Mrs. Cooper after his mother, whose name he bears, died when he was two years old. The boy was born at Eldorado, Ill., his father, Ben Hogg, having deserted the mother several days before the child was born.
Identification of the skeleton and what clothing still adhered to the bones was made by the Coopers and relatives of the lad as well as other interested persons who divulged details of the boy's life which may have influenced his melancholy perspective. Among those verifying the identity were Mrs. Effie Owens, North Penn street, and Mrs. Smith, Brady Street, both aunts, who recognized bits of the clothing and the shape of the lad's skull and a portion of the tissue of his face which yet remained.
As the lad neared his sixteenth birthday he faced the prospect of leaving school and seeking a full-time job. He had worked as a delivery boy in the hours he was not in class. According to the high school records the boy was in the sophomore class and left school on December 21. Miss Grace Fern Mitchell, auditor in the city schools office, had been in contact with the boy and said that she believed he was despondent because of the heavy home duties heaped on him and because of the illness of an aunt in whom he professed great confidence.
It was suggested that the lad might have fallen into the shaft and although the Coopers said he was not of an inquisitive nature which led other boys to climb up and down the ladder of the shaft between the three floors, the possibility is being considered. Mr. Cooper said that the boy did not smoke and consequently would not have sought the shaft for a forbidden cigaret. His aunt said that on the last day he was seen he left already late for school and that as he was very prompt would not have loitered in the wash-room carrying out the thought of an accidental fall.
Threats of running away to join the navy had been made by the boy to several as well as his threats to do away with himself. He told Floyd Privett, policeman, a year of so before he dropped from sight that "some day you'll find me in the quarry" indicating a rock pit at the northeast edge of the city. When the lad disappeared the Coopers said they made an effort to search for him but that it was too great an expense. It was definitely determined that he had not joined the navy.
Otto Armstrong, 1310 South Franklin street, and Francis Clevenger, South Tillotson avenue, plumbers, were tearing away bricks at the bottom of the shaft about 10:30 o'clock Thursday morning to make way for new pipes to be put through there when they came on the skeleton. The coroner, school officials and other authorities were summoned. The skeleton lay on its right side in a normal position. Practically all the flesh, except some bits about the skull and pelvis, had disintegrated. There were bits of clothing about the bones indicating the boy had worn gray knickerbockers, long heavy underwear, army shoes split at the back, and two pairs of stocking.
A circular advertising the vocational night schools was found moulding under the skeleton in such a position that had probably been in a hip pocket. A clasp-knife was also found. The investigators took their clew from the night-school circular and traced through school records of delinquents in that quarter of 1922, and thereby obtained record which was verified by the Coopers. They also identified the knife as one given the boy by Mr. Cooper. The knife was closed.
The ventilating shaft has entrances through the boys' lavatory on each floor but is barred by a door at the base. The doors were locked about three years ago after it was found students were sneaking into the shaft to smoke. A ladder is inside the shaft which would have provided exit if the lad had fallen and was not seriously hurt. His cries for help could have been heard. There is a similar shaft in the opposite end of the building to the north.
Evidences of foul-play could not be found to verify any of the various theories of murder, other than the usual school-boy quarrels. The bones of the skeleton did not exhibit any marks of violence according to Dr. Henry E. Bibler, coroner's physician on the case, and the coroner has ruled out the possibility of an accident having occurred and unless unforeseen evidence develops will proceed on a verdict of suicide, having reasonable grounds for such a verdict from the statements of relatives and friends.
=====================
Father: Ben Hogg
Mother: Mandie Guelsby
------------------
The Muncie Morning Star, Saturday, July 11, 1931
Identification of the skeleton found Thursday morning in a ventilating shaft in the Central High School as that of Perlie Guelsby, 16, missing since December, 1922, was made positive yesterday by relatives and friends who established the probable motive of suicide.
Graveside funeral services will be conducted at 10 o'clock this morning. Coroner C.G. Piepho is also a funeral director and ha made gratis arrangements for the funeral with the Rev. Arthur W. McDavitt, pastor of St. Johns Universalist Church officiating. J. Elwood Watkins, representing Elm Ridge Cemetery, donated a single lot and the Busch, Russell and Gelts Company, monument dealers, will supply a marker. The casket will be taken from the Moffitt-Piepho funeral home at 9:40 o'clock this morning.
Probably three thousand persons have viewed the remains since they were found by plumbers working at the bottom of the air-shaft and removed to the funeral home. Scores came there hourly yesterday, many of them who had been acquainted with the lad when he worked as a delivery boy for the Mahr merchants' delivery and several men with whom he worked as a boy intend to locate others of the delivery organization so that six of them may be pallbearers today.
Statements that the boy had threatened to run away from his home with Mr. and Mrs. Charles Cooper, 905 Brady street, and that he contemplated killing himself because of treatment he regarded as unjust were heard yesterday by the coroner. The lad came to live with Mr. and Mrs. Cooper after his mother, whose name he bears, died when he was two years old. The boy was born at Eldorado, Ill., his father, Ben Hogg, having deserted the mother several days before the child was born.
Identification of the skeleton and what clothing still adhered to the bones was made by the Coopers and relatives of the lad as well as other interested persons who divulged details of the boy's life which may have influenced his melancholy perspective. Among those verifying the identity were Mrs. Effie Owens, North Penn street, and Mrs. Smith, Brady Street, both aunts, who recognized bits of the clothing and the shape of the lad's skull and a portion of the tissue of his face which yet remained.
As the lad neared his sixteenth birthday he faced the prospect of leaving school and seeking a full-time job. He had worked as a delivery boy in the hours he was not in class. According to the high school records the boy was in the sophomore class and left school on December 21. Miss Grace Fern Mitchell, auditor in the city schools office, had been in contact with the boy and said that she believed he was despondent because of the heavy home duties heaped on him and because of the illness of an aunt in whom he professed great confidence.
It was suggested that the lad might have fallen into the shaft and although the Coopers said he was not of an inquisitive nature which led other boys to climb up and down the ladder of the shaft between the three floors, the possibility is being considered. Mr. Cooper said that the boy did not smoke and consequently would not have sought the shaft for a forbidden cigaret. His aunt said that on the last day he was seen he left already late for school and that as he was very prompt would not have loitered in the wash-room carrying out the thought of an accidental fall.
Threats of running away to join the navy had been made by the boy to several as well as his threats to do away with himself. He told Floyd Privett, policeman, a year of so before he dropped from sight that "some day you'll find me in the quarry" indicating a rock pit at the northeast edge of the city. When the lad disappeared the Coopers said they made an effort to search for him but that it was too great an expense. It was definitely determined that he had not joined the navy.
Otto Armstrong, 1310 South Franklin street, and Francis Clevenger, South Tillotson avenue, plumbers, were tearing away bricks at the bottom of the shaft about 10:30 o'clock Thursday morning to make way for new pipes to be put through there when they came on the skeleton. The coroner, school officials and other authorities were summoned. The skeleton lay on its right side in a normal position. Practically all the flesh, except some bits about the skull and pelvis, had disintegrated. There were bits of clothing about the bones indicating the boy had worn gray knickerbockers, long heavy underwear, army shoes split at the back, and two pairs of stocking.
A circular advertising the vocational night schools was found moulding under the skeleton in such a position that had probably been in a hip pocket. A clasp-knife was also found. The investigators took their clew from the night-school circular and traced through school records of delinquents in that quarter of 1922, and thereby obtained record which was verified by the Coopers. They also identified the knife as one given the boy by Mr. Cooper. The knife was closed.
The ventilating shaft has entrances through the boys' lavatory on each floor but is barred by a door at the base. The doors were locked about three years ago after it was found students were sneaking into the shaft to smoke. A ladder is inside the shaft which would have provided exit if the lad had fallen and was not seriously hurt. His cries for help could have been heard. There is a similar shaft in the opposite end of the building to the north.
Evidences of foul-play could not be found to verify any of the various theories of murder, other than the usual school-boy quarrels. The bones of the skeleton did not exhibit any marks of violence according to Dr. Henry E. Bibler, coroner's physician on the case, and the coroner has ruled out the possibility of an accident having occurred and unless unforeseen evidence develops will proceed on a verdict of suicide, having reasonable grounds for such a verdict from the statements of relatives and friends.
=====================
Father: Ben Hogg
Mother: Mandie Guelsby
**The Date of Death is listed on the Indiana Death Certificate as, "Probably December 21, 1922".
------------------
The Muncie Morning Star, Saturday, July 11, 1931
Identification of the skeleton found Thursday morning in a ventilating shaft in the Central High School as that of Perlie Guelsby, 16, missing since December, 1922, was made positive yesterday by relatives and friends who established the probable motive of suicide.
Graveside funeral services will be conducted at 10 o'clock this morning. Coroner C.G. Piepho is also a funeral director and ha made gratis arrangements for the funeral with the Rev. Arthur W. McDavitt, pastor of St. Johns Universalist Church officiating. J. Elwood Watkins, representing Elm Ridge Cemetery, donated a single lot and the Busch, Russell and Gelts Company, monument dealers, will supply a marker. The casket will be taken from the Moffitt-Piepho funeral home at 9:40 o'clock this morning.
Probably three thousand persons have viewed the remains since they were found by plumbers working at the bottom of the air-shaft and removed to the funeral home. Scores came there hourly yesterday, many of them who had been acquainted with the lad when he worked as a delivery boy for the Mahr merchants' delivery and several men with whom he worked as a boy intend to locate others of the delivery organization so that six of them may be pallbearers today.
Statements that the boy had threatened to run away from his home with Mr. and Mrs. Charles Cooper, 905 Brady street, and that he contemplated killing himself because of treatment he regarded as unjust were heard yesterday by the coroner. The lad came to live with Mr. and Mrs. Cooper after his mother, whose name he bears, died when he was two years old. The boy was born at Eldorado, Ill., his father, Ben Hogg, having deserted the mother several days before the child was born.
Identification of the skeleton and what clothing still adhered to the bones was made by the Coopers and relatives of the lad as well as other interested persons who divulged details of the boy's life which may have influenced his melancholy perspective. Among those verifying the identity were Mrs. Effie Owens, North Penn street, and Mrs. Smith, Brady Street, both aunts, who recognized bits of the clothing and the shape of the lad's skull and a portion of the tissue of his face which yet remained.
As the lad neared his sixteenth birthday he faced the prospect of leaving school and seeking a full-time job. He had worked as a delivery boy in the hours he was not in class. According to the high school records the boy was in the sophomore class and left school on December 21. Miss Grace Fern Mitchell, auditor in the city schools office, had been in contact with the boy and said that she believed he was despondent because of the heavy home duties heaped on him and because of the illness of an aunt in whom he professed great confidence.
It was suggested that the lad might have fallen into the shaft and although the Coopers said he was not of an inquisitive nature which led other boys to climb up and down the ladder of the shaft between the three floors, the possibility is being considered. Mr. Cooper said that the boy did not smoke and consequently would not have sought the shaft for a forbidden cigaret. His aunt said that on the last day he was seen he left already late for school and that as he was very prompt would not have loitered in the wash-room carrying out the thought of an accidental fall.
Threats of running away to join the navy had been made by the boy to several as well as his threats to do away with himself. He told Floyd Privett, policeman, a year of so before he dropped from sight that "some day you'll find me in the quarry" indicating a rock pit at the northeast edge of the city. When the lad disappeared the Coopers said they made an effort to search for him but that it was too great an expense. It was definitely determined that he had not joined the navy.
Otto Armstrong, 1310 South Franklin street, and Francis Clevenger, South Tillotson avenue, plumbers, were tearing away bricks at the bottom of the shaft about 10:30 o'clock Thursday morning to make way for new pipes to be put through there when they came on the skeleton. The coroner, school officials and other authorities were summoned. The skeleton lay on its right side in a normal position. Practically all the flesh, except some bits about the skull and pelvis, had disintegrated. There were bits of clothing about the bones indicating the boy had worn gray knickerbockers, long heavy underwear, army shoes split at the back, and two pairs of stocking.
A circular advertising the vocational night schools was found moulding under the skeleton in such a position that had probably been in a hip pocket. A clasp-knife was also found. The investigators took their clew from the night-school circular and traced through school records of delinquents in that quarter of 1922, and thereby obtained record which was verified by the Coopers. They also identified the knife as one given the boy by Mr. Cooper. The knife was closed.
The ventilating shaft has entrances through the boys' lavatory on each floor but is barred by a door at the base. The doors were locked about three years ago after it was found students were sneaking into the shaft to smoke. A ladder is inside the shaft which would have provided exit if the lad had fallen and was not seriously hurt. His cries for help could have been heard. There is a similar shaft in the opposite end of the building to the north.
Evidences of foul-play could not be found to verify any of the various theories of murder, other than the usual school-boy quarrels. The bones of the skeleton did not exhibit any marks of violence according to Dr. Henry E. Bibler, coroner's physician on the case, and the coroner has ruled out the possibility of an accident having occurred and unless unforeseen evidence develops will proceed on a verdict of suicide, having reasonable grounds for such a verdict from the statements of relatives and friends.
=====================
Father: Ben Hogg
Mother: Mandie Guelsby
------------------
The Muncie Morning Star, Saturday, July 11, 1931
Identification of the skeleton found Thursday morning in a ventilating shaft in the Central High School as that of Perlie Guelsby, 16, missing since December, 1922, was made positive yesterday by relatives and friends who established the probable motive of suicide.
Graveside funeral services will be conducted at 10 o'clock this morning. Coroner C.G. Piepho is also a funeral director and ha made gratis arrangements for the funeral with the Rev. Arthur W. McDavitt, pastor of St. Johns Universalist Church officiating. J. Elwood Watkins, representing Elm Ridge Cemetery, donated a single lot and the Busch, Russell and Gelts Company, monument dealers, will supply a marker. The casket will be taken from the Moffitt-Piepho funeral home at 9:40 o'clock this morning.
Probably three thousand persons have viewed the remains since they were found by plumbers working at the bottom of the air-shaft and removed to the funeral home. Scores came there hourly yesterday, many of them who had been acquainted with the lad when he worked as a delivery boy for the Mahr merchants' delivery and several men with whom he worked as a boy intend to locate others of the delivery organization so that six of them may be pallbearers today.
Statements that the boy had threatened to run away from his home with Mr. and Mrs. Charles Cooper, 905 Brady street, and that he contemplated killing himself because of treatment he regarded as unjust were heard yesterday by the coroner. The lad came to live with Mr. and Mrs. Cooper after his mother, whose name he bears, died when he was two years old. The boy was born at Eldorado, Ill., his father, Ben Hogg, having deserted the mother several days before the child was born.
Identification of the skeleton and what clothing still adhered to the bones was made by the Coopers and relatives of the lad as well as other interested persons who divulged details of the boy's life which may have influenced his melancholy perspective. Among those verifying the identity were Mrs. Effie Owens, North Penn street, and Mrs. Smith, Brady Street, both aunts, who recognized bits of the clothing and the shape of the lad's skull and a portion of the tissue of his face which yet remained.
As the lad neared his sixteenth birthday he faced the prospect of leaving school and seeking a full-time job. He had worked as a delivery boy in the hours he was not in class. According to the high school records the boy was in the sophomore class and left school on December 21. Miss Grace Fern Mitchell, auditor in the city schools office, had been in contact with the boy and said that she believed he was despondent because of the heavy home duties heaped on him and because of the illness of an aunt in whom he professed great confidence.
It was suggested that the lad might have fallen into the shaft and although the Coopers said he was not of an inquisitive nature which led other boys to climb up and down the ladder of the shaft between the three floors, the possibility is being considered. Mr. Cooper said that the boy did not smoke and consequently would not have sought the shaft for a forbidden cigaret. His aunt said that on the last day he was seen he left already late for school and that as he was very prompt would not have loitered in the wash-room carrying out the thought of an accidental fall.
Threats of running away to join the navy had been made by the boy to several as well as his threats to do away with himself. He told Floyd Privett, policeman, a year of so before he dropped from sight that "some day you'll find me in the quarry" indicating a rock pit at the northeast edge of the city. When the lad disappeared the Coopers said they made an effort to search for him but that it was too great an expense. It was definitely determined that he had not joined the navy.
Otto Armstrong, 1310 South Franklin street, and Francis Clevenger, South Tillotson avenue, plumbers, were tearing away bricks at the bottom of the shaft about 10:30 o'clock Thursday morning to make way for new pipes to be put through there when they came on the skeleton. The coroner, school officials and other authorities were summoned. The skeleton lay on its right side in a normal position. Practically all the flesh, except some bits about the skull and pelvis, had disintegrated. There were bits of clothing about the bones indicating the boy had worn gray knickerbockers, long heavy underwear, army shoes split at the back, and two pairs of stocking.
A circular advertising the vocational night schools was found moulding under the skeleton in such a position that had probably been in a hip pocket. A clasp-knife was also found. The investigators took their clew from the night-school circular and traced through school records of delinquents in that quarter of 1922, and thereby obtained record which was verified by the Coopers. They also identified the knife as one given the boy by Mr. Cooper. The knife was closed.
The ventilating shaft has entrances through the boys' lavatory on each floor but is barred by a door at the base. The doors were locked about three years ago after it was found students were sneaking into the shaft to smoke. A ladder is inside the shaft which would have provided exit if the lad had fallen and was not seriously hurt. His cries for help could have been heard. There is a similar shaft in the opposite end of the building to the north.
Evidences of foul-play could not be found to verify any of the various theories of murder, other than the usual school-boy quarrels. The bones of the skeleton did not exhibit any marks of violence according to Dr. Henry E. Bibler, coroner's physician on the case, and the coroner has ruled out the possibility of an accident having occurred and unless unforeseen evidence develops will proceed on a verdict of suicide, having reasonable grounds for such a verdict from the statements of relatives and friends.
=====================
Father: Ben Hogg
Mother: Mandie Guelsby
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