Louis Wehde

WEHDE, KYSELY

Posted By: Sharon Elijah (email)
Date: 8/6/2019 at 13:02:34

20 September 1956 - The Tipton Conservative

Louis Wehde, 19, son of Mr. and Mrs. Allen Wehde, who farm near Lisbon, drowned in a farm pond Sunday about six miles north of West Branch.

Wehde drowned about 10:45 a.m. while hunting with a companion, Larry Briggs, who also lives on a farm near Lisbon. The drowning took place on the Lee Kroth farm, a mile and a half north of Plato. The pond is in a field across the road from the farm of Wehde's grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Kysely.

West Branch Fire Chief Murray Gibson said Briggs told authorities he and Wehde were hunting squirrels when Wehde shot a mud hen which fell into the pond.

Wehde stripped off his clothing and went in after the bird, which was about 30 feet out. The Lisbon boy apparently suffered a severe cramp in the cold water and drowned without coming to the surface of calling out.

Briggs ran a half-mile to the Kroth farm to summon help. The West Branch fire department recovered the body about 45 minutes later in about 10 feet of water.

The crash wagon from Tipton was also called, along with dragging equipment owned by the Tipton fire department. However, the West Branch firemen located the body without dragging the pond.

In addition to his parents and grandparents, he is survived by a sister, Thelma, at home. A brother was killed in an automobile accident several years ago.

This is the second drowning in Cedar county this year. The first was that of Norma Kruse in the Cedar river south of Rochester.