Iowa
Old Press
Osage News
Osage, Mitchell County, Iowa
June 11, 1921
Mrs. C. B. Larson of Orchard transacted business in Osage,
Wednesday of last week.
Louema Fish is spending the summer in Dubuque with her mother as
her grandmother, Mrs. W. Kelly, expects to be away for medical
treatment.
Miss Ida Priem of the Goplerud Bros. force, has been kept at her
home in Lyle for several days by the illness of her mother, Mrs.
John Palm.
Miss Myrtle Dahlin and her cousins, Misses Mabel and Louella
Olson, left last Thursday for Park River N. Dak. to visit
relatives for a few weeks.
Mrs. W. H. Salisbury and daughter Joan returned last Thursday
from Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, where they had spent several
days with friends.
Mrs. Louise Schmidt and daughter, Miss Ella, went to Waverly last
Friday to spend several days with Mrs. Schmidt's daughter, Mrs.
John Becker.
Mr. and Mrs Rufus Jacoby, who had been guests at the paternal
Erza Graves home at David returned to their home in Waterloo last
Friday, taking with them Mrs. Jacoby's brother and sister, Ora
and Emma Graves for a visit.
Miss Eula Lee Beebe, teacher of French at the Junior college left
Saturday morning for her home in Jackson, Mich. and Miss Georgia
Clark left on the same train for Dansville, Mich. They will both
return to Cedar Valley next fall.
Attorney A. B. Lovejoy, who came to give a toast at the alumni
banquet of his alma mater, the Cedar Valley seminary, returned to
his home in Waterloo last Friday afternoon. He was a quest of his
sister, Mrs. H. L. Wilson, while in the city.
Miss Phebe Corey, who attended the Junior college this year
returned to her home in Independence last Saturday afternoon.
Frank Loomis and family went to Des Moines Saturday to visit
several weeks with Mrs. Ethel Sayre, their daughter and sister.
Miss Opal Sharp, one of the Orchard teachers, came Saturday to
visit Miss Mabel Wilson before going to her home in Springfield,
Ill.
Clarence Arsers is expected this week from McAllen Texas, to
visit in the parental John Arsers home. His wife and baby will
follow later.
Miss Elsie Craig, who has been teaching the past year in Auburn,
Neb., came Saturday to teach in summer school at the Junior
college and visit her brother Prof. Victor Y. Craig.
Mrs. Addie Loomis-Reeves, who was a quest last week in the home
of her brother, Frank Loomis went to Austin Saturday to visit a
friend before going to her home in St. Paul. Later she is
planning to go visit her son Herbert in Chula Vista, Calif.,
where he has been since the World war recuperating from that
strenous experience.
[transcribed by M.O., March 2006]
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Osage News
Osage Mitchell County, Iowa
June 26, 1921
HIGH WATER OF CEDAR CARRIED FOUR TO DEATH
-Raymond Meyer Fell From Horse North of Stacyville Friday
-Two Drowned At Mitchell
-Carl Thompson and Lloyd Delaney Met Death When Canoe Capsized
Sunday-Gerald West, Other Party In Canoe, Escaped
-Lad of Twelve Drowned Near Orchard.
The high water claimed four victims in Mitchell county the latter
part of last week. The first of these was Raymond Meyer, son of
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Meyer, who was drowned Friday evening. Raymond
was a lad of only seventeen years and was working for Ed
Wiesenfehl on the farm about four miles north of Stacyville.
Mr. and Mrs. Wiesenfehl had been called to Stacyville that
afternoon by the death of the latter’s father, Math
Diederich, and left their children to stay with young Meyer
during the night. In the evening Raymond attempted to ford the
river on a horse and go after the cattle, the eldest of the
Wiesenfehl children, a lad of eight, having gone with him. He
said he told Raymond not to try to cross the river, but the
latter said he was not afraid.
In some manner the unfortunate boy lost his hold on the horse
when he made a lunge and was thrown into the river. The
Wiesenfehl lad went home and as the children were all small no
alarm was given. Mr. and Mrs. Wiesenfehl returned home during the
night, but the children were all asleep at the time and they were
not told of the terrible accident until the next morning. Search
was made all day Saturday for the body, but it was not found
until Sunday morning when a farmer about a mile or so down the
river, going across on a horse, discovered the remains of the
boy, they having been washed up on the sand by the water, which
had gone down considerably by that time.
Another calamity occurred on the Cedar River Sunday afternoon
about 2:15 when a canoe in which Carl Thompson and Gerald West of
Mitchell and Lloyd Delaney of Osage, capsized about a half mile
above the dam at Mitchell. The trio had paddled that far up the
river from Mitchell in a small canoe. The river at this point is
said to be very treacherous, a drowning or two having occurred
there some time ago, and here the small canoe capsized. Lloyd
could not swim very little if at all. Gerald says he attempted to
save Lloyd and had hold of him once, but that his companion
slipped from him and went to a watery grave, as did also Mr.
Thompson. Some say they saw footprints on the shore, indicating
that Mr. Thompson may have swam ashore and then went back in an
attempt to save Lloyd. Gerald says he did not see Thompson after
the canoe capsized. After this Gerald rushed to Mitchell and gave
the alarm and it is said there were perhaps almost a thousand
people along the river at that point within a short time. The
river was dragged and Lloyd’s body was recovered about 5
o’clock and in less than a half hour Mr. Thompson’s
body was found near the point where they had sunk.
Gerald West, who escaped the fate of his companions, is a son of
Mr. and Mrs. Frank West of Mitchell, a young man 23 years of age.
Mr. Thompson also lived at Mitchell and conducted the garage
there. He was a son of Mr. and Mrs. Chris Thompson of Osage and
leaves a wife and five children. The other unfortunate victim was
a son of Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Delaney, who moved to this city only
a short time ago from their farm north of town where Lloyd was
born. He was twenty years of age and a graduate of Osage high
school, having finished the course last year, and was also a
member of the high school football team. Funeral services were
conducted at the Congregational church at 10 o’clock Monday
morning by Rev. Lemon and the remains were interred in Osage
cemetery.
The fourth drowning occurred near the bridge over the Cedar about
two miles southwest of Orchard, this victim being Carl Jenne,
twelve year old son of Mrs. Tony Burg. Mr. and Mrs. Burg and the
children had gone to the river from Orchard and in wading the lad
stepped suddenly into deep water and was swallowed by the swift
current. Search was began for the body as soon as possible, but
the body was not found until Tuesday night, at the Haberkorn
bend, about two miles below where the lad was drowned. Funeral
services will be conducted at the church at Orchard at 2
o’clock this afternoon by Rev. Bertram. The family came to
Orchard this spring. Mr. Berg being a beet worker. A full account
of this sad case will be found in our Orchard items. It would
seen these terrible tragedies would tend to make people more
careful when the river is on such a rampage. Universal sympathy
goes out to those who are bereaved, though words of comfort and
sympathy cannot lighten much the grief of the surviving
relatives.
[transcribed by M.O., March 2006]