SPORRER, Joseph Jr. (1817-1892)

SPORRER

Posted By: Karon Velau (email)
Date: 5/7/2016 at 18:31:39

Joseph Sporrer
(July 23, 1817 - October 28, 1892)
Joseph Sporrer Jr. died tragically in Sioux County, Iowa and was buried in St Mary's Cemetery, Warren County, Iowa

[from an unknown source]
A Horrible Death
Last Monday Joseph Sporrer, residing on section 11, owned by Mr. Heffler, near Granville, was hauling sand for building purposes. He had hauled several loads, and was accompanied by his little six year old son and his Newfoundland dog. The third trip he had only thrown a few shovels-full upon the wagon, when the bank, which towered full fifteen feet above him, caved in, completely burying him from sight. The little boy ran home and partially informed his mother what was the matter. They started back for the gravel pit, when Henry and Peter Goebel of this place, who chanced to be passing, saw the woman and some men running in the direction of the sand pit, and roticing the team standing, unattended, guessing that something was wrong and hastily drove there. John Eulberg and Henry Minton also hurried to the scene. They arrived at the same time the other party did and was horrified to see the top of a man’s head sticking from the sand, the dog having scratched the sand away from the unfortunate man. It was but a few seconds until the men had clawed the sand away from Sporrer’s face and mouth, but it was too late. Although warm, the breath of life had fled and Joseph Sporrer was a dead man.

[from another source]
A gang of threshers were working within a few rods of the sand pit and noticing the rescuers trying to dig the unfortunate man from his tomb sand, hurried to the scene and with their united efforts the dead man was almost entirely removed, when Mrs. Sporrer, rushed towards her husband. But with opened arms and a cry of anguish on her lips, the poor woman fainted and fell at her husband’s feet. She was taken back home in an unconscious condition, along with the corpse of her husband, and with six little children crying around their apparently lifeless forms, the sight was enough to melt a heart of stone. Mrs. Sporrer expects to become a mother in a few days, and the blow was such that many have fears for her ultimate recovery.
The sight of the poor unfortunate husband as he was dug from the sand was said to have been awful. The skin about his eyes was broken and had turned black and the sand could hardly be brushed from this face. He was standing erect, with one hand grasping the shovel while the other was raised over his breast, as if to ward off a blow. His face was turned heavenwards as if the sand had imprisoned his legs and then slowly slid over his body inch by inch covering up his head and he had raised his face to Heaven as if in prayer and in hopes that the sand would not entirely cover his mouth and kill him.

[from another source]
The dog has dug away fully a foot of the sand from over the man, before help arrived, and it was with difficulty that he could be kept back while the men were exhuming the corpse. Mr. Sporrer was a poor, but honest, straightforward and hardworking a man as lived in the country. His wife and six children are left helpless without any means of support. The whole community is in sorrow over the terrible accident.
[These death notices were provided for this website by Rita Sporrer, great, great niece of Joseph Sporrer]