
“Henry B. Ruel, 66, of 731 Fourth street, president of the board of Scioto county commissioners, was fatally hurt Monday afternoon when he fell 20 feet from a ladder in a barn on his Raven Rock farm. Mr. Ruel fell about 4 PM and died in Portsmouth General hospital at 4:50 PM.”
“A broken neck and internal injuries caused death. His sudden, tragic death has caused a distinct shock in the city and county and cast a gloom over the entire community.”
“Hugh H. (Hap) Ruel, 33, of 1404 Fourth street, son of Commissioner Ruel, was injured Monday in a fall from the same ladder. Hugh Ruel was climbing down the ladder with an armload of tools, when he became suddenly ill and fell. He grasped the ladder uprights and slid down. The tools fell on his head, inflicting deep scalp wounds. Mr. Ruel witnessed his son’s accident and rushed him to the city, where a physician dressed his injuries.”

“He presided at the commissioners’ meeting in the afternoon and left the court house shortly after 3 PM.”
“A silo on the side of the barn had been removed during the summer and left a large hole in the barn. Mr. Ruel desired to have the hole closed and sent his son to take measurements Monday morning.”
“To reach the gable it is necessary to climb a 20 foot ladder, which is on an angle, and then mount a 15 foot perpendicular ladder, which runs to the roof, inside the barn.”
“Leaving the commissioners’ office in the afternoon. Mr. Ruel, who always spoke of his colleagues, Commissioners Wesley Shela and Austin Taylor as ‘boys,’ said, ‘Well boys, ‘Hap’ fell off the ladder trying to get those measurements, so I will have to go down and do the job myself.’ He was in the best of spirits and remarked that he had never felt better in his life. Leaving the building, he said, ‘Goodbye, everybody, I will see you all again at 1:30 PM Wednesday.”
“His last official act was to sign the minutes and sign a subcontract for Frowine Brothers.”
“Ruel arrived at his farm about 3:45 PM and told John Kayser, employee on the farm, that he was going to leasure the hole.”

“Kayser offered to climb the ladder and get the measurements, but Ruel declined his offer, saying, ‘I would ask no one to do something I wouldn’t do,’ and began climbing the ladder. He reached the gable and took the measurement.”
“Returning to the bottom of the perpendicular ladder, he called down to Kayser to cut a board seven feet and two inches long. Waiting for the board, Mr. Ruel stood on the 20 foot ladder and held to the perpendicular ladder. Kayser had prepared one end of the board and was squaring up the other end when Mr. Ruel fell.”
“Clayton Kayser, 12, son of John Kayser, was holding the ladder. The boy said he noticed the ladder shake and looked up. He said Mr. Ruel’s legs were shaking, and that the commissioner acted as though he was dizzy. Ruel turned and pitched forward from the ladder, the youth says, his body barely missing the boy. Mr. Ruel fell face first.”

“Ruel turned over and placed his hand under his head. Missing Mr. Kayser, he inquired of Clayton. ‘Where did your daddy go?’ The boy answered, and when Kayser returned, Ruel asked him what physician had been summoned. He complained of his mouth hurting and lapsed into unconsciousness.”
“An ambulance summoned had motor trouble enroute and did not reach the scene. Traffic Patrolman John Goodman, who followed the ambulance went on to the scene. Goodman commandeered a West Virginia car parked nearby and removed Ruel to the hospital. Dr. JW and CM Fitch and Hubert Thurman worked valiantly to stay the hand of death. The body was removed to Daehler funeral home.”

“Mr. Ruel was elected county treasurer for two terms, serving from 1921 to 1925. Previous to entering politics, Mr. Ruel was engaged in the contracting business and operated Raven Rock dairy farm.”
“He was president of the Harper and Ruel Contracting company. His son, Henry Ruel Jr., vice president of the company, was killed in a dynamite explosion July 27, 1925. The tragedy occurred north of the boulevard and Forrest avenue on a large tract of land owned by Henry Ruel, which the company was developing. A few months later John Harper, third member of the company, took ill and died suddenly. Henry Ruel then dissolved the company and quit the contracting business.”
“Mr. Ruel entered the contracting business in 1913. His first job was erection of a piling bridge across the Scioto River to serve temporarily after the vehicle bridge was washed out during the flood. The county engaged Ruel to maintain a foot bridge across the stream. Five time the temporary structures were washed out while under construction. Being a determined man, Ruel did not let misfortune hamper his work. Smiling at fate, he again attached the job and this time put up a structure which withstood the turbulent waters.”

“At completion of this work, he was engaged to employ workmen for the steel plant. Mr. Ruel faced quite a task, with so many men going to war to find sufficient workmen for the steel mills. Ruel, working day and night, supplied the demand.”
“Mr. Ruel purchased Raven Rock farm in 1914 from Adam Frick. The farm is recognized as one of the best in southern Ohio. It contains 310 acres of bottomland and the hill on which Raven Rock is located. He operated a large dairy farm until 1928, when he was elected county commissioner. He was elected president of the board in January 1930. He was serving his second year of his first term of four years.”

“In 1927 Ruel leased 100 acres of his farm to the Raven Rock airport. This lease was later conveyed to the Embry-Riddle company of Cincinnati. The firm offered him a huge sum for the land, but Ruel declined to part with his farm.”
“In the same year William J. Burke, late head of the Vulcan Last corporation, leased part of the farm and started Raven Rock golf course. After Mr. Burke’s death in August 1929, Mr. Ruel cancelled the lease and took over the golf course. Ruel was proud of the gold course and had many improvements planned for next year. He was determined to make the course one of the best in this section.”

“Mr. Ruel was a member of the Scioto county fair board and Scioto county farm bureau. He was always a prominent figure at the fairgrounds, working tirelessly to make the show a success. He advocated removal of the fair site to the county infirmary farm on the West Side. He was an active Republican and worked hard for the betterment of the organization. He was never too busy to lend a helping hand. His wisdom and keen advice was sought by many. His philosophy of life was: ‘Do what you think is right.'”
“In the passing of Henry Ruel the county has lost one of its most faithful servants. While the position of the commissioner only pays $102 a month and requires one meeting a week, Mr. Ruel devoted much time every day to his office. Never a day passed that Ruel was not in the office looking after the commissioner’s business. He gave every delegation an audience, no matter how trivial their matter might be. He was frankly outspoken. After hearing pleas of a delegation, he gave them an honest answer. If the board thought the project sought worthy, they gave it every consideration and worked hard to complete the program.”

“In his early life, Mr. Ruel, an orphan boy worked on Raven Rock farm for 25 cents a day. Having no home, he often slept out on the ground under the cover of night. Through his hard work, he was able years later to purchase the huge farm on which he once labored for a quarter a day.”
“Mr. Ruel was born at Barren Springs, West Virginia. His father, William Henry Ruel was killed in the Civil War, before Mr. Ruel was born. His mother, Mrs. Artinsha Ruel moved her two sons, Henry and William Ruel to 137 Front street, here, when Henry was four years old. She died a few years later leaving the sons.”1
“Mr. Ruel was a charter member of the Odd Fellows lodge. He also belonged to the Elks, Knights of Pythias and Eagles. He was a member of Bigelow ME church.”
“Henry Butler Ruel, was born in August, 1864. December 31, 1890 he was united in marriage to Barbara Gasele. To this union, three children were born, Henry B Ruel, Jr., who met a tragic death, Hugh H. Ruel of 1404 Fourth street and Mrs. Madeline Ruel Meguigan of 1022 Twenty-second street. Mrs. Barbar Ruel has been ill for several weeks. Mrs. Meguigan is recovering from injuries suffered in an automobile accident several months ago.”

“Besides his family, Mr. Ruel is survived by one brother, William Ruel, 68, of 137 Front street, a half-brother James Custer of Illinois and a half-sister, Mrs. Luella Wolfe of Racine, Wisconsin.”
“Funeral services will be held from the Daehler funeral home at 2 Thursday afternoon. Burial will be made in Greenlawn cemetery. The body was removed to the Ruel home, 731 Fourth street Tuesday noon. Friends may view it until Thursday noon.”
“The courthouse offices will be closed at 1:30 PM Thursday and will remain closed until Friday morning.”2
- After the death of her husband William, Artemicia married John Alexander Custer in 1866. Sadly, their union lasted but a short ten years with Artemicia dying in 1875, aftering having three children. Having such a large young family John Alexander Custer quickly remarried in 1878. Unfortunately, his new wife, Sarah Catherine Slack, would not accept this children of his previous marriages as her own and they were remitted to the Scioto County Children’s home.
- Second tragic death in home in few years. (1930, December 9). Portsmouth Times, p. 1.