Lahr, Robert Melvin (1927-1933)

LAHR

Posted By: Eileen Reed (email)
Date: 4/15/2019 at 09:08:48

The Daily Times
Davenport, Iowa
Monday, May 29, 1933
Page 1, Column 2

The Lahr child, son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Lahr, was found suffocated in an ice box on the porch of an empty house near his home. Several hundred Eagle Grove residents had searched throughout the day for him. Apparently the boy crawled into the box and knocked the lid down. The clasp clicked, and he was unable to free himself.

The Humboldt Independent
Humboldt, Iowa
Tuesday, May 30, 1933
Page 2, Column 6

Little Robert Lahr, six-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Lahr of Eagle Grove, was found dead In an empty ice box standing on the porch of an unoccupied building within 150 feet of his home Saturday of last week.

The child had been absent from his home twenty-four hours, and the local American Legion unit, the boy scouts and hundreds of citizens had been looking for him for twenty hours.

The little fellow had been playing near his home at four o'clock in the afternoon, and when he did not appear for the evening meal. His parents instituted a search. They first called the neighbors and then extended their efforts. The local units took the search up and all night the neighborhood in and near Eagle Grove was scoured by search parties. It was the following evening that someone noticed the empty Ice box on the porch of the home opposite the Lahr residence. Opening the door the little fellow was found cramped up in the food chest of the ice box. He had evidently crawled into the box, which was a large one, and then pulled the door shut after him. Then of course he was unable to open it again, and quickly smothered to death.

The Eagle Grove Eagle
Eagle Grove, Iowa
Thursday, June 01, 1933
Page 5, Column 7

Missing Boy Found Dead

Robert Lahr, 6, was found dead in an ice box on the front porch of an empty house on South Eastern Avenue about 4 o’clock Saturday afternoon. He had been missing since 2:45 Friday afternoon. His parents had been away Friday on a trip to Vinton to bring home their oldest boy who has been in the School for the Blind. Robert had been left in the care of a neighbor family, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bjornson. Mrs. Bjornson last saw him Friday afternoon about 2:45. The ice box in which he was found was about three feet square. The lid was closed the hasp being over the staple. The boy smothered to death. He was found by Art Moon who in company with J. Marley Hall and James Hall were thoroughly searching the premises. The house where young Lahr was found was but fifty feet from the house where he was staying and about a half a block from his home. Mr. and Mrs. Lahr returned from the trip to Vinton at 4 p.m. Friday.

February 23, 1927 – May 26, 1933