Mr. Wm. H. Robinson-Frozen to Death 1860

ROBINSON, BURTON, CLEAVER, JAMES, CHAPMAN, NAGLE

Posted By: Cheryl Locher Moonen (email)
Date: 4/26/2016 at 17:38:33

The Herald, Saturday Morning, Jan. 7, 1860

Editor: - I have learned about noon, the 2d of January, that Mr. Wm. H. Robinson, a citizen of this place who is known to a large portion of our businessmen and houses as a land agent, collector, &c., came to his death by freezing, on the 30th of December, in the timber, near Colesburg, Delaware County, when en route for Dubuque, on foot.

From the solicitations of Messrs. James and Cleaver, of this city, I concluded to go and bring the deceased to Dubuque, in order to give his friends and opportunity of having him decently and respectively interred here, which I did, and had the body buried in the city burial ground, under the officiating of Rev. Mr. Brooks, of the Episcopal Church.

Upon the arrival at Colesburg, I found the body of the deceased in charge of Joseph Chapman, Esq., who by the way, is certainly a humane man. He had in his official and private capacity made every arrangement requisite in having the body well cared for. He had procured a very respectable walnut coffin and other burial equipment’s to correspond, and was on the point of interring him in the burial ground of that place. I must in justice to Mr. Chapman say if this utter stranger to him had been some of his own friends, he could not have done more. There were also many others in this humane town who seemed to take interest in the deceased.

There were found upon the person of the deceased no papers of value – two deeds, which had been recorded in Allamakee County, belonging to Robinson & Co. and James Nagle, of this city; one heavy black pocket book; a memorandum book, and a purse, in which were $9 dollars and 85 cents, which were implied upon the expenses incurred at Colesburg, for coffin, etc. He had also in his pocket two watches of a very common kind, one with a silver case and the other brass.

The above together with some business cards and a few valueless papers, were all that was found upon the body. Any of his friends that desire any further information, can call upon me or address a line to that effect.

Your &c., GEORGE W. BURTON