The Republic from Columbus, Indiana • Page 6

A6 Th Republic Columbia. nd, Sunday, January t9, 1992 Brown County Deaths Brown County deaths can sometimes be mysterious mains of a body found in the garage were thought to be those of Clarence Roberts. However, brothers Jack and Earl Bond, who served. as coroners refused to sign a death certificate in Roberts' name, contending the remains of the man found in the rage were not those of Clarence Roberts. They believed the victim was a drifter seen with Roberts in the days before the fire.

The investigation into Roberts' disappearance led police and private detectives to just about every corner of the country in the next 10 years. For years, there was not enough proof to convince -many that Roberts was dead or alive. I Roberts even was indicted by a Brown Circuit Court grand jury in 1976 for murder and kidnapping of the unidentified person who died in the first fire. GenevaRoberts tried to have him declared legally dead seven years after the fire to gain $1 million in life insurance benefits. That effort was denied because there was no proof Roberts was dead.

In November 1980, just weeks after the Indiana Court of Appeals denied her efforts for those benefits, a fire destroyed Geneva Roberts' house. Inside the ruins, investigators found Geneva Roberts' body. They also found the remains of a man. It was Clarence Roberts, missing for 10 years and the object of a decade's worth of questions. A grand jury called nearly three years later determined that the night of the fire, Geneva Roberts had become unconscious as the result of alcohol consumption, a diabetic coma or both.

The report also said turpentine was poured around and on her body with the trail running toward the rear door of death. Peggy Goins pleaded guilty in -1980 to charges of arson, conspiracy to commit arson, reckless homicide and fraud. She was sentenced to a total of 27 years in prison, but 25 years were suspended and she received a 2-year term. Garland was found guilty of criminal mischief, conspiracy to commit arson and fraud, and received a 12-year sentence. Festival deaths It was 'only a little over six months ago that four Marion residents attending a music festival at Bean Blossom were found dead in their trailer.

The two couples had died in their trailer from carbon monoxide poisoning. A faulty generator used to run the air conditioner was blamed in the deaths. managed to escape from the house before it was set afire. The couples' bodies were found in the burning rubble. Their 28-year-old son, Paul, who Bunge identified as the man- who did the shooting, disappeared.

He would be 89 years old today. Police never figured a motive for the slayings. Bunge, the only witness, died in 1984 Goins murder It was November 1979 when the body of John Goins, 42, was found in the burned ruins of his Hoover Road home three miles' north of Indiana 46. An autopsy determined he had been shot in the face with a shotgun about two weeks earlier and was dead long before the fire started. Goins' wife, Peggy J.

Goins, and James "Woody" Garland of Route 5 Seymour, were charged in the BROWN COUNTY the home. 1 Clarence Roberts' body was found in a storage room, which contained solvents and other flammable liquids. Because there was.no evidence indicating any wounds, it appeared the man identified as Clarence Roberts was either overcome by alcohol or fumes from the solvent that had been poured through the house. As the turpentine vaporized, the fumes eventually were ignited by a woodstove in the house. The grand jury concluded that Geneva Roberts was murdered and the cause of death of Clarence Roberts appeared to be accidental Brown burning It was December 1930 when Lee Brown and his wife, affluent Brown County residents, were shot and left for dead in their burning house.

An employee, Chester Bunge, was shot twice but Surviving are sons Cooly, Phillip and Goodloe Smith, all of Elizabethtown, and Charles Smith of Carthage; daughters Delia Hignite of Columbus, Allie Morris of Westport, Susie Johnson of Brinkley, Hester Mullins of Scottsburg, and Jdann Ritchie of London, a step-son, Bennie Mullins of Brownstown; a stepdaughter, Ruthene Fields of Franklin; 56 grandchildren; 17 step-grandchildren; and several great- and great -greatgrandchildren. He was preceded in death by two sons, two daughters and a step-daughter, four brothers and a sister. Former restaurant operator Mary E. Miller Clifford Mary E. 79, of Clifford, died at 10:07 a.m.

Saturday at Bartholomew County Hospital. In the 1940s she operated Hadley's Restaurant on 17th Street in Columbus. She was a former cook at the Clifford School. She was a member of the Church of the Galilean at Columbus, the Clifford Fire Department Auxiliary, and Global Harvesters. The service will be conducted at 1:30 p.m.

Tuesday at Norman Funeral Home, with the Revs. Donald Rohner and Calvin Vass officiating. Calling will be from 4- 8 p.m. Monday. Bunal will be at Born July 6, in Russell County, she was the daughter of Melvin and Cassie Collins Hadley.

She married Claude Fultz, who died in 1941. She then married Earl Miller Sr. in 1945, and he died in 1972. By Joseph B. Gill The Republic mysterious deaths Tuesday of Patricia Lynn VonTellrop, 39, Route 2 Nashville, and her 6-year-old son, James Royce VonTellrop III, are the latest in a series of Brown County mysteries.

The VonTellrops were found nude and dead from exposure hundreds of yards from their home about miles southeast of The mystery surrounding those deaths is comparable to four other cases in Brown County over the past 70 years: Roberts fire The most heralded case developed over a 10-year period in the 1970s and involved Clarence and Geneva Roberts. On Nov. 18, 1970, a fire destroyed a garage at the Roberts residence on Grandma Barnes Road north of Nashville. The re -X-ax The Republic photo by John Shtckler Searching for clues Brown County Sheriff David E. Anderson, right, talks about the recent deaths of Patricia Lynn VonTellrop and her 6- ear-old son, James Royce onTellrop III.

The two died of exposure Jan. 14 In 'rural Brown County. At top Is Van Buren Elementary School, where the boy attended at a first-grader. The flag In front of the school was lowered to half-staff. Area Deaths, The deadline for obituary information is 9 a.m.

Monday through Friday for the weekday and 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday for the weekend editions. Infor- -mation generally is provided by the funeral home. Accounts from family are accepted for out-of-town deaths. The Republic will verify and edit information submitted.

Photographs, either black-and-white or color. "ere accepted for ell obituaries. Service reports, a brief account of the service which includes pallbearers' names, are published after the' funeral. Obituaries and service re- ports are a free service of The Republic. Obituary number: 379-5639.

Ilomeroaker Mary Frances Nobbe Route 3 Seymour SEYMOUR Mary Frances Nobbe, 74, of Route 3 Seymour, died at 5:58 a.m. Saturday at Jackson County Schneck Memorial Hospital, following a long illness. She was a homemaker and a member of the First United Methodist Church. She was active with Girl Scouts of America, Girls Club of Seymour, the Republican Women's Club and the United Way. The service will be conducted at 1:30 pm.

Tuesday by Myers Funeral Service at their Burkholder Chapel, with Bishop Leroy C. Hodapp officiating. Calling will be from 2 to 8 p.m. Monday and from 10 a.m. until service time Tuesday.

Burial will be at Riverview Cemetery. Memorials may be made to First United Methodist Church or to donor's choice. Born April 20, 1917, at Seymour, she was the daughter of Clayton H. and Kathryn A. Graves Fisher.

She lived all her life in Jackson County. She married Carl Nobbe Aug. 14, at qI pig Patricia Lynn her 1 tJ James Royce -is were about 4 p.m. I Crandview Lake classroom and appeared to be a good mother," Walker said. Walker, like Anderson and others in the community, is saddened and bewildered.

"We are all asking the same question," Walker said of staff and students, "Why? "We have no answers whatsoever." Anderson said that Scriptures of "things to do with death" were found at the residence in Patricia's handwriting. Conley said he believed the writings, in the form of a note, were discovered on the piano. Conley saidthe note was captioned "read the following" or with words to that effect, and referred to Bible verses. VonTellrop described his wife's note as paraphrasing sayings such as "the meek shall inherit the earth." "There was nothing with an Armageddon or apocalyptic connotation to it," he said. VonTellrop described his wife as a woman who "rejoiced in life and in being a mother.

"I don't want to believe that it happened," he said. "I know that the person I knew for 20 years as my wife and the mother of my son would not have done any harm to my son." Ttt RafjubiiC grapiiic pital at Beech Grove Saturday morning. Arrangements, are incomplete at Johnson Funeral Home. Arrangements incomplete Ruth Hackett Taylor Road Ruth Hackett, 92, of Taylor Road, died at 3 a.m. Saturday at -the Four Seasons Health Care Center.

Survivors include a son, John T. Hackett of Columbus. Arrangements are incomplete at Myers Funeral Service, Hathaway-Myers Chapel. (See DEATHS, Page A7) Myers Funeral Service Reed Jewell Chapel 3729 25th St 376-3341 Clifton S. Holley Service 1 p.m.

Monday Visitation 1-5 p.m. Sunday Burkholder Chapel 419 N. Chestnut Street Seymour 522-2517 Edward H. Foster Service 10 a.m. Monday Immanuel Lutheran Church Visitation 3-8 p.m.

Sunday Mary Frances Nobbe Service 1:30 p.m. Tuesday Visitation 2-8 p.m. Monday professional service (Continued From Pag 1) approximately 150 yards from the home around 6 p.m., shortly before VonTellrop and the Whites arrived home to find a police car in the drive. Police found James' body two hours later, about 200 yards farther from the home than his mother's. State police Detective Don Conley of the Bloomington post said that the VonTellrops' Australian sheepdog, Boots, was standing next to Patricia's body when it was discovered.

Boots and another family dog had worn a path through the snow between the bodies of their owners, Conley said. Anderson said that it was clear what had happened, but he would "never be comfortable with why" it happened. "I can understand a little bit if she wanted to do it to herself I don't agree with it or approve of it but why take the child?" Other members of the community expressed similar sadness. Dr. Carol Walker, principal at Van Buren Elementary School, where James was a first-grader, said nothing seemed amiss in the mother's relationship with her only child.

"(Patricia) had been in the school visiting and helping In the Surviving are a son, Phillip Fultz of Clifford; a step-son, Earl Miller Jr. of Nevada; stepdaughters Virginia Lee Menser of Columbus, and Marilyn Everroad of Georgia; a brother, Augusta "Gus" Hadley of Hope; 13 grand-children; and 18 greatgrandchildren. She was preceded in death by brothers Oscar, Richard, Arthur, Morris and George Hadley. Daughter here Olive H. Boyle Lafayette SULLIVAN Olive H.

Boyle, 80, of Lafayette, formerly of Sullivan, died at 11:05 p.m. Friday at Lafayette Home Hospital. The service will be conducted at 1 p.m. Monday at Alexander Funeral Home, with the Rev. David Cox officiating.

Calling will be from 4:30 to 8 p.m. today and from 8:30 until service time Moftday. Burlap will be at Center RidgeCfemerery at Sullivan. Born Feb. 12, 1911, she was the daughter of William and Cora Snow Hancock.

She was married to Paul P. Boyle, a former state representative. He died in 1971. Surviving are daughters Bevera Libke of Columbus, Ann Carty of Lafayette, Colleen Stoppenhagen of Ft Wayne, and Martha Jane Bodine of Bowling Springs, nine grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Arrangements Incomplete Edna A.

Gray Indianapolis VALLONIA Edna A. Gray, 94, of Indianapolis, formerly of Vallonia, died at St Francis Hos Gnaw Dotwy I Area Enlarged I rmmm i a I The bodies of NashvKte VonTellrop and 6-year-old son I i 1.1 VonTellrop III 1 I discovered at I I Jan. 14. Cemetery. Born March.

20, '1928, at Batesville, he was the son of Harry and Julia Decker. He married Mary Lou Jarvis Sept 30, 1961 and she survives. Also surviving are sons Scott and Danny Decker of Columbus; grandson Chad Decker of Columbus; brothers Vernon Decker of Cincinnati, Joe Decker of Batesville, and Bob Decker of Greensburg; and a sister, Julia Dierckman of Greensburg. Former Brownstown resident Phillip Smith Columbus BROWNSTOWN Phillip Smith, 99, of Columbus, formerly of Brownstown, died at 8:27 p.m, Friday at Bartholomew Hospital. He had been ill for two years.

He was a member of First Pentecostal Church at Browns-town. He was a coal miner and a farmer. The service will be conducted at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Spurgeon Funeral Home, with the Rev. Glenn Seaman officiating.

Calling will be from 4 to 9 p.m. Monday and from 9 a.m. until service time Tuesday. Burial will be at Pigeon Roost Cemetery near Scottsburg. Memorials may be made to First Pentecostal Church at Brownstown.

Services Jeffersonville. He survives. Also surviving are daughters Carol Franklin of Avoca and Ginger Weddle of Fostoria, Ohio; granddaughters Carla Jo Rice and Carolyn Sue Weddle, both of Fostoria, Ohio, and Charlotte Mitchell and Cheryl Hiser, both of Seymour; step-grandchildren Julia Cate and JefT Franklin, both of Bloomington, Jane McGill of Bedford, and Joel Franklin of Columbia City; a brother, William C. Fisher of Evansville; five great-" grandchildren; four step-greatgrandchildren; two nephews; a niece; and several great-nieces and great-nephews. She was preceded in death by a brother, Clayton Fisher.

Owner of Hacienda Lounge William A. Decker Road 400VV William A. Decker, 63, of Road 400W, died at 12:01 a.m. Friday at St Francis Hospital at Beech Grove. Decker owned the Hacienda Lounge on U.S.

11. He was a member of St John's Masonic Lodge; Scottish Rite, Indianapolis Valley; Murat Temple; and the Moose Lodge. He was an Army veteran and a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Columbus andgfie- American Legion at Batesville. The funeral will be conducted at 10 a.m. Monday at Barkes, In-low and Weaver Funeral Home on Jonathan Moore Pike, with the Rev.

Richard Yeaton officiating. Calling will be from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday and from 8:30 a.m. until service time Monday. A Masonic service will be held at 5 p.m.

Sunday' at the funeral home. Burial will be at Garland Brook Born April 23, 1892,. 1iinKn6fGarland Brook Cemetery. County, he was the son of Manford and Suzanne Gent Smith. He moved to Jackson County in 1968.

He married Sylvia McKce in 1917, and she died in 1962.. He married Matilda Mullins in 1968, and she died Jan 1, 1981..