STUART ISRAEL and WILLARD LARIMER

STUART, LARIMER

Posted By: Nancee Seifert (email)
Date: 1/14/2010 at 19:02:13

Decatur County Journal
Leon, Iowa
Thursday, May 16, 1912

Two lads, one of them the step-son of Mrs. GEORGE ISRAEL, who will be
remembered by Leon people, as Miss HARRIETT METIER, were drowned at Chariton
last week. The Chariton Herald tells of the said affair as follows:

A terrible tragedy took place in Chariton last Monday evening, coming like a
bolt out of a clear sky to bereave two families and shock the whole
community. STUART ISRAEL, nine-year-old son of GEORGE ISRAEL, and WILLARD
LARIMER, eleven-year-old son of Mr. And Mrs. FRANK LARIMER, were drowned in
the little pond in the Bartholomew pasture just south of the Burlington
tracks in Spring Lake addition, only four blocks from the square. The boys
had left their home about 7:30 o'clock in the evening to go flower hunting,
but they had a toy boat along that they wanted to try in the pond. Orlan
Wells saw them playing beside the pond as he came up town after supper, but
no one was in sight when they met their death, so it is not known how it
happened. There was an old box raft there that they might have climbed into
and fallen out of. The water was but five feet deep where their bodies
were found, and they were lying not more than ten feet from the edge of the
pond, and but two of three feet from each other.

The first alarm was felt when they did not return home at the usual time.
They had intended going to the morning picture show, but when it was found
they were not there, the parents thought they had gone hunting flowers. Not
until nearly nine o'clock was genuine alarm felt, and then neighbors and
friends helped in the search for them. On inquiry it was learned that they
had gone to the pond, so the searchers went there, and soon found WILLARD's
hat. Help was then sent for and the fire bell was rung with the result that
a large number of men gathered at the pond and the search was systematically
made in the water. It was ten o'clock before Ted Rose found the bodies,
only a few feet apart. All the doctors in town who were not out on calls
were on the scene and for several hours the most strenuous efforts were made
to resuscitate the boys. It was thought at first that there was some hope,
but it was a false hope. The bodies had probably been in the water for
nearly two hours.

The tragedy is one of the most terrible that has ever happened in Chariton.
Both families are prominent and are widely known. Mr. ISRAEL is manager of
the Chariton Dry Goods Co. Store and part owner of the Bell Store, and Mr.
LARIMER is employed with Hollinger & Larimer, and is a brother of Mayor H.G.
LARIMER. STUART ISRAEL was the only son of Mr. ISRAEL, there being a little
daughter, CONSTANCE, seven years old. STUART was named after his
grandfather, Hon. T.M. STUART, who with his wife fairly idolized the boy and
his little sister. WILLARD LARIMER was the only child in the family, and
both boys were light and lively little fellows, popular among their little
associates and with their teachers.

Both lads first saw the light of day in Chariton and have always resided
here. WILLARD KELVIN LARIMER was born on February 6, 1902, and was 10 years
and 3 months old, and GEORGE STUART ISRAEL was born on July 27, 1903, and
his age was 8 years, 9 months and 9 days. They were neighbors and had
always been little chums.

Both funerals were held yesterday afternoon at the family homes at 2:30 p.m.
Rev. G.I. Findley, of the United Presbyterian Church conducted the funeral
of Master WILLARD, while Rev. Geo. R. Chambers of St. Andrew's Episcopal
Church conducted the funeral of little STUART. During the funeral hours the
business houses in Chariton were closed and the pupils at the east school
building were dismissed. At the close of the services the corteges wended
their way together to the Chariton Cemetery, where the little forms were
tenderly laid to rest. The deep sympathy of the entire community goes out
to the surviving relatives in their bitter grief.
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Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert
January 12, 2010
iggy29@grm.net