Looking back: Man who believed he was a ‘divine healer’ taken to asylum and woman found dead near Heise
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IDAHO FALLS — EastIdahoNews.com is looking back at what life was like during the week of Sept. 23 to Sept. 29 in east Idaho history.
1900-1925
BLACKFOOT — A man who believed he was a “divine healer” was taken to the asylum in Blackfoot, The Bingham County News reported on Sept. 28, 1911.
Deputy Sheriff Winkler, of Adams County, transported the patient to the asylum. The paper referred to the man as a “demented one.”
The patient believed that being taken to the asylum “was but a part of the persecution which befalls all who endeavor to travel the path made by Jesus Christ.”
“He wore long hair and (a) beard and looked more like a repository for disease germs than a divine healer of the ills that beset men,” the article reads.
1926-1950
IRWIN — A fire destroyed the Irwin Hotel but nobody was injured in the blaze, the Idaho Falls Post Register reported on Sept. 23, 1949.
The fire started around 2 a.m. Friday but it wasn’t clear at the time of publication what caused the fire. Mrs. John Van Noy, the sole occupant at the two-story hotel, escaped uninjured.
The four upstairs sleeping rooms, a bar and poolroom downstairs plus a kitchen were destroyed in the blaze. The building with fixtures was valued at $15,000.
“Called to the scene was fire equipment from the Palisades Dam project, but the flames were beyond control when it arrived,” the article said. “With a limited amount of water available, local residents found it impossible to extinguish the fire. They fought it with extinguishers for a time.”
Residents said this was the second hotel to burn down on the same block within the past 20 years. They said the old Elkhorn Hotel and poolroom owned by John Marshall previously caught on fire.
The owners of the Irwin Hotel were John and Devon Van Noy.
1951-1975
IDAHO FALLS — A 49-year-old Idaho Falls woman’s death was under investigation after her body was found about three miles east of Heise, The Rigby Star reported on Sept. 29, 1966.
A fisherman discovered Mrs. C.L. Englund’s body around 5:30 p.m. Saturday. A .22 caliber rifle was found nearby, according to the Bonneville County sheriff.
The Jefferson County sheriff was also helping with the investigation. They were trying to determine whether she was shot by someone or if it was self-inflicted. She was shot in the chest.
Gwendolyn (Gwen) Walker England was born in Lewisville. When she was “a small child” her family moved to Idaho Falls where she grew up and graduated from Idaho Falls High School. She married C. Leone Englund, of Rexburg, in 1939.
She was described as an “ardent fisherman” and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“Mrs. Englund was quite well-known in this area, having many relatives and friends,” The Rigby Star wrote.
1976-2000
POCATELLO– A Blackfoot man was arrested on charges of carrying a concealed weapon, the Idaho State Journal reported on Sept. 23, 1976.
Lonnie Lemon, 31, was arrested at the Northwest Aviation offices at the Pocatello Airport. The man reportedly told pilots at the private flying service “he was being pursued and needed transportation.”
“The workers became alarmed and summoned Power County deputies from the adjacent airport terminal building,” the Journal stated. “Deputies allegedly found the weapon and took Lemon into custody.”
He was being held at the Power County Jail pending arraignment.