Louis Meis, 1882 Obituary

MEIS

Posted By: David Reineke (email)
Date: 9/7/2008 at 18:55:47

I translated the following obituary from Der Carroll Demokrat, a German-language newspaper published in Carroll, Iowa, between about 1874 and 1920. It was originally published on Friday, 21 April 1882. Any information in brackets or notes at the end are my own explanations. It reads as follows:

Louis Meis, the popular shop assistant, in McCune’s Shoe and Boot Shop, suddenly became so ill on Saturday that his recovery was in doubt. The illness is encephalitis. On Sunday morning came the report that he was already deceased, but indeed it was not true. As we write this, he is still in a dangerous condition. His father was informed by telegraph in Dyersville, Dubuque County, and he immediately rushed to his son’s sickbed, where he is now. Louis Meis is a very upright young man, well-liked by all, and everyone who knows him wishes him a speedy recovery.

LATER UPDATE: Louis Meis is no longer among the living. He died peacefully on Wednesday evening at 10 minutes before 7:00. Around his deathbed were his grieving father, his relatives, and close friends. The bystanders were deeply affected when he breathed his final sigh, and indeed hardly an eye remained dry because Louis was well-liked by everyone who had contact with him. The funeral service took place Thursday morning at 10:00 in the Catholic church because he was a devout son of his church. The fire department, of which he was a member, marched at 12:00, along with the Schuetzenverein [German Rifle Club], to the beat of a funeral march played by the Carroll Music Corps, going to the church, from whence the body was brought to the train station, since it was to be transported to Dyersville, Dubuque County. The funeral procession was arranged as follows: At the front was the music, then came the children of the Catholic school. Behind these followed the hearse wagon accompanied by eight firemen. The remaining firemen marched behind the wagon. After the firemen came the riflemen, and behind these followed the remaining mourners. The extent to which everyone mourned the untimely death of the vigorous young man could be seen by the size of the crowd that gathered to pay him their final respects. As the coffin was placed in the express wagon, the Music Corps again played a funeral march, and everyone removed their hats or caps to show their respect. Carroll has not seen a more solemn funeral. As the train departed, everyone, in deepest sympathy, shook hands with the grieving father. The deceased was 22 years old and insured by the Roman Catholic Mutual Aid Society, which paid the sum of $958 to his relatives.