MAN WHO DIED FROM HEAT LIVED LIKE 'A HERMIT'

Landlord Clarence Dockery sat in his home Wednesday evening and cried as he talked about a funeral earlier in the afternoon for his tenant whose body was found three days after dying from heat stroke.

"No one went to visit him as much as I did," said Dockery, recalling 79-year-old Sellars Allen, whose body was found Monday in the house he rented from Dockery.

Dockery maintains that little could have been done to save Allen. The highly suspicious tenant preferred to lead his life alone.

"He was a hermit," Dockery said. "When you'd go to see him, he'd come outside and pull the door shut tight behind him so you couldn't see inside."

Padlocks at the top and bottom of the front door and windows nailed shut were how Allen kept himself safe, Dockery said.

The door was unlocked when a neighbor found Allen's body.

Although a municipal ordinance states that at least one window in a room must be unobstructed, few complaints are ever made, said Tarryl Booker, city building inspector. No action has been taken against Dockery for the window's condition, he said.

Using nails to close windows instead of locks is not uncommon in low income neighborhoods with crime problems, Booker said.

Escaping the heat

For reclusive elderly persons who might need extra attention during extreme weather, the Missouri Division on Aging can help, said spokesperson Deb Hendricks.

"If we get a call through our hotline, we can make visits to those who might be at risk," Hendricks said.

Often advice is given about alternative locations to sit out the hottest part of the day, and resources from other organizations are suggested to make staying at home cooler, she said.

The Salvation Army is open to anyone seeking relief from the heat, said caseworker Tina Rodgers.

Electric fans are available to those in need, and in some circumstances the fans can be delivered, Rodgers said.

"There was one elderly lady who needed a fan delivered," she said. "She lived here in town, so I took it to her on my lunch hour."

The East Missouri Action Agency loans a small number of air conditioners to those with notes from physicians, said Kevin Sexton, the agency's community services representative. Electric fans are available for the elderly, or those with disabilities or children 5-years-old or younger.

"We haven't had as many requests as in the past," Sexton said.

Although the agency receives its air conditioners through state funding, units can be donated, he said.

Allen's odd behavior

In Allen's house at 507 Olive St., an unplugged electric fan was found in the bedroom, although the electricity in the house was working.

Dockery last spoke with Allen on Friday. When Dockery came into the house's front room, he said Allen greeted him with no clothes on and mutterings about someone wanting to get him. Dockery left without inquiring further, he said.

"He was a nice fellow, but that day he sure was acting weird," Dockery said.

Anxious or confused behavior is often a symptom of heat stroke, said Mike Hurst, Cape Girardeau County coroner.

Efforts to get Allen to keep the house in good condition had been ignored, Dockery said. But since Allen was timely with his payments, Dockery said he gave him leeway.

Dockery doubts he'll keep the house after about three years of Allen's occupancy.

"I'm probably just going to raze it," Dockery said. "It ain't worth nothing now."