Silber, Frank d. 1893

SILBER, FEAS

Posted By: Volunteer Transcriber
Date: 1/1/2011 at 13:06:31

Two Boys Drowned.

Went on Sunday last four little boys went to the Skunk River, none of them over nine years of age; went in the buggy with Mr. George Feas to near the Cherry Creek bridge where there were quite a number of men washing horses and vehicles. The little boys wanted to go into bathe, and Mr. Feas allowed them to do so, at a place where he could watch them. After being in a short time, he told them to not go away. Mr. Feas continue to wash his buggy and thought the boys had not gone away. He does not think it was more than 10 min. when one of the boys came back and said two of the boys were drowned.

Cleveland H. Sherman, son of John H. Sherman, of our city, aged nine years old, testified as follows: “together with Frank Silber, George Feas, Elmer Feas, went to the river in the wagon in with Mr. Feas, where a lot of men were washing horses. We all went into the river a swimming there, and after while we went out and put on our clothes. We then went to the pond in Forbes’ pasture. We took off our clothes and commenced to hunt for frogs to fish with. Elmer Feas went in the water on one side of the brush and Frank Silber on the other, and intended to meet together. I then saw them struggling in the water, and then saw them sink out of sight. Then I ran and told the man at the river that the boys were drowned. Mr. Feas told the boys not to go into the pond as it was very deep. Clevie Sherman.”

Other witnesses testified to the finding of the bodies. The pond looks like as though it was a very shallow one, but was found to be very deep and very cold. The two children drowned are Frank Silber and Elmer Feas, both aged nine years.

Mr. Feas lives on the old Sim Kennedy farm, and Mr. Silber on the Joe Kennedy Place, about 5 1/2 mile south of Newton. The two children were fine looking boys, and even in death showed that they had been strong, active and healthy children. The sympathies of our people go out to the parents of the children in their great and sudden sorrow. Frank Silber was buried at Metz on Monday afternoon, and Elmer Feas in the Newton Cemetery, on Tuesday forenoon.

The accident occurred about 10 o'clock Sunday morning, and the first body was got by seining, about an hour afterwards. - The second body was not obtained until four o’clock, and then by a hay rake that had been weighted with rock so that it would drag the bottom. The water was so cold in the pond that men could not stay in it long enough to dive. The pond is almost round at the point where the boys were drowned was not more than 18 feet in diameter.

Rev. R. Weese, officiating at the funeral of Elmer fees, yesterday; Rev. D. Brown at the funeral of Frank Silber, on Monday. ~ The Newton Journal, Wednesday, June 21, 1893.