Iowa
Old Press
Stacyville Monitor
Stacyville, Mitchell co., IA
Thursday, July 14, 1910
RIVER EXTRACTS A HEAVY TOLL
THREE BOYS LOSE THEIR LIVES IN THE LITTLE CEDAR AT THIS PLACE
FRIDAY AFTERNOON
Were the Only Sons of John A. Adams
Terrible Ending of a Happy Fishing Party Takes the Lives of
Joseph, Martin & Michael Adams While Swimming In The River At
A Point About 20 Rods North Of The End Of The Railroad Tracks
…..All Buried In One Grave
Not in the history of Stacyvlle has there ever occurred such a
tragedy as that which occurred here last Friday afternoon when
three boys, Joseph, Martin and Michael Adams, 13, 11, and 10
respectively were drowned in the river at a point about 20 rods
north of the railroad. As the word flew over our little village
our people dropped their work and sped with all haste to the
fated spot, hoping against hope that the report was groundless or
if true, that someone would reach them in time to save the boys.
But such was not the case when the bodies were brought out and
laid on the grass side by side.
The facts in the case, as near as the Monitor has been
able to ascertain are as follows: Martin Adams and family of St.
Paul, an uncle of the dead boys, were visiting at the John A.
Adams home that day. After dinner Mr. Adams proposed to the boys
that the afternoon should be spent in fishing and taking the
three boys and Leo Adams, who was also at the Adams home, the
party started out for the river, where they later joined Albert
Heimer, another boy of their age. Things went along nicely and
all were enjoying themselves immensely until about 4 o'clock when
Mr. Adams became thirsty and leaving the boys, came uptown for a
drink. Left to themselves the boys decided to go in swimming.
After disrobing and getting into the water, they began to play
"follow the leader". The five boys with little Michael
Adams in the lead all took hold of hands and started out into the
river. Albert Heimer, who was last, warned them to look out for
deep water, to which Mike answered, "What's the difference,
we can swim". Just then he stepped off into a hole six feet
deep. From this on the story can only be conjecture for the
remaining boys were so excited that no account can be gotten from
them. The supposition is, however, that the three boys, being in
the lead and having hold of hands, when the first got into the
deep water the other two tried to save him and in doing so were
dragged into the deep place themselves and unable to get back
thus all three were drowned. Leo Adams, too was drawn under and
would have drowned but he broke loose from the boy who had hold
of his hand, and Albert Heimer succeeded in getting out and
saving him. When Albert and Leo got on shore they hastily put on
their clothes and ran uptown and gave the alarm, or at least Leo
ran up to the Adams home and Albert ran downtown towards the dam
to get a boat.
From the Adams home Dr. Brown was called and told to go to the
river and central began sending the alarm over town. A large
portion of the men folks of the town were at the ballgrounds,
where the east side of the town were going to play the west side;
the game was just about to begin when the word reached them. The
first ones to reach the scene were apparently afraid to go into
the water and it was not unit Mayor John Heumann arrived before
any attempt was made to recover the bodies. Mayor Heumann at once
went into the water and after about five minutes found the body
of Joseph. About this time Joe Weber went into the stream and
found Martin and Mayor Heumann found Mike. The funerals were held
Saturday afternoon; Rev. Schlueter preaching a very impressive
sermon in St. Mary's Church to the largest congregation that has
ever been in the church since its dedication, after which the
bodies were borne to their final resting place. The three bodies
were laid side by side in one large grave.
Never before in our long experience in the news business have we
been called upon to write the obituary of three persons from the
same family at once. Only once before in our entire lives has
such an occurrence come within our personal observation. It is
indeed sad at anytime to stand by the bedside of the dying and
watch life's ebbing tide drifting slowly but surely into the
great ocean of eternity, but we cannot grasp the magnitude of
such sadness when the home circle is so ruthlessly torn asunder
and three of its members - the only boys of the family are
snatched into eternity in the twinkling of an eye. Such sorrow is
beyond our grasp, and words fail us in attempting to say
something that would adequately bring a ray of light to the
sorrowing hearts of the bereaved parents and sisters. In the
presence of such a sorrow, how cold and impotent are words, and
how doubly deep would be the grief over the grave did not the
rainbow of Christian hope span the dark gulf between time and
eternity.
Joseph Adams was born March 9, 1897, and died July 8, 1910, aged
13 years, 3 months and 29 days.
Martin Amandus Adams was born February 11, 1899, and at the time
of his death was 11 years, 4 months and 21 days.
(Michael Julius Adams was born March 7, 1900, and at the time of
his death was 10 years, 4 months and 1 day.)
Besides their sorrowing father and mother, they leave to mourn
their sad deaths four sisters, Eva, Tillie, Elizabeth and
Frances, a foster brother Charles Schein of Minneapolis, and a
large number of other relatives and friends.
To make this more sad if possible two of the above children,
Tillie and Frances are afflicted and can in no way help
themselves and of a family of 13 children, only these four are
left.
- Philip and Joseph Thome and the latter's son Wm., and Charles
Schein of Minneapolis came down last Saturday to attend the
funeral of the three Adams boys.
[transcribed by M.J.P., June 2008]