Person:Walter Downey (1)

Walter bought a brick building in Francisco. It was a restaurant. A second building was added next to it for a picture show. A couple worked for them - the man ran the film and the wife played piano for the picture. Carrie sold popcorn. Later they couldn't have pictures there because the floor sloped down, so they had dances. After that they put in four pool tables. Charley Mans bought the restaurant from them.

Walter hit his leg with an ice pick cutting ice in the cellar. He got blood poisoning. Every day, the doctore would come and tell Carrie to paint iodine right above the blood line. It went up to his navel, and Carrie refused to put more iodine on it. That probably saved his life.

Walter died June 16, 1939, at 11:30 a.m., of a coronary occlusion. His obituary read: "WALTER DOWNEY, 67, FRANCISCO, DIES Francisco, June 16 (Special) -- Walter Downey, age 67, retired restaurant owner, died at 11:30 o'clock this morning at his home here following an illness of several months. "Funeral arrangements have not been completed. Surviving are the widow, Carrie Lowery Downey; four sons, Raymond of Hammond; Everett of Indianapolis, Leister of Bluffton and Gola of Anderson; two brothers, Elza of Kansas City, Mo., and Hovey of Portland, Ore., and a sister, Mrs. Stella Deffendall of Los Angeles, Calif. Mr. Downey was born in Francisco, April 7, 1872, and had resided in Gibson county all his life. For many years he operated a restaurant in Francisco. He was Ben Hur Scribe for 20 years and a member of the I.O.O.F. lodge of East St. Louis. The remains will be at the Colvin & Son Chapel until Saturday morning when they will be removed to the home in Francisco."

Walter's Store in Francisco, Indiana

1.   Obituary.
2.   Death Certificate
   11 June 1939.