Kass, Nicholas, died 1886 age 15

KASS

Posted By: Lydia Lucas - Volunteer (email)
Date: 8/5/2010 at 13:41:53

KASS KILLED. Nicholas Kass is Tramped to Death by a Horse.

Last Friday night [Jan. 29], after The Democrat had gone to press, Nicholas, the 15-year-old son of Frank Kass, residing seven miles south of Alton, in the edge of Plymouth county, met with a horrible death. He has been attending the Sisters' School in this city all winter, his custom being to ride his horse over on Monday morning and return home Friday evening. On this fateful evening, when almost home, the horse struck a very large snow drift, and in floundering about, threw its rider off. Before the lad could get out of the way the horse plunged upon him, burying him deep in the snow, breaking his ribs, windpipe and inflicting other fatal injuries. The horse came home riderless, warning Mr. Kass that something was wrong, who at once started out to find what it was. He soon found Nicholas lying on the snow and bleeding from the mouth, nose and ears, but able to tell how it happened. He was carried to the house and Dr. A. P. Owens, of this place, summoned, but before medical assistance could arrive, the boy was dead. The body presented a horrible appearance, the doctor informs us, being bloated to three times its usual size, and was very much discolored. The funeral took place Monday at Remsen.

The finger of fate seems to have marked the family of Mr. Kass. Five years ago, on the 4th of July, at the same identical place that Nicholas met his horrible death, a cyclone killed two other sons. Four years ago, his wife and daughter died of typhoid fever, and last fall another son was kicked by a horse, and laid up in consequence for three months. The surviving members of the family have the sympathy of everybody.

Source: Alton Democrat, Feb. 6, 1886

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From the Alton Democrat of Feb 13, 1886:

In speaking of the horrible death of Nicholas Kass, in last week's issue, we made and error in stating that he was going home from school in this place. He was out driving up the cows, when the horse threw him. He lived until Father Luehrsman of this place arrived and delivered the last rites of the Chatholic church, in which faith he died.

Volunteer Wilma J. Vande Berg, in originally posting the Feb. 13 death notice, couldn't determine with 100% certainty just what family Nicholas belonged to. Found one family in 1880 in Fredonia Twsp Plymouth Co., the Frank and Anna Kass family and then in 1885 census Frank was a widower, so assumed them to be the parents.

Nicholas Kass is not in the Sioux County cemetery index so burial place is not determined; possibly buried in Plymouth county.