Iowa Old Press

LeMars Sentinel, August 2, 1897

"Just Married Today."

A LeMars friend in Spencer Friday saw Wallace McArthur working like a badger
to tear off a big placard from his trunk while his bride of a day stood and
looked on and encouraged him to pull hard. The card came off at last and
the following inscription showed up in big black letters, "Just married
today." Some good friend in LeMars was afraid the bridal couple would not
have enough attention shown to them and had securely tacked on the card
before the trunk left the LeMars depot. The placard was not noticed when
the trunk was rechecked at Spencer early in the morning and the bride and
groom could not tell why people smiled so when they passed their baggage
until they found the card at Spencer.

LeMars Semi-Weekly Sentinel
August 5, 1897

FUNERAL OF JOHN FISSEL.
The funeral of John Fissel was held on Tuesday morning and was very largely
attended, the German M E Church, where the services were held, being
crowded. Rev. J. Dulitz, pastor of the church, conducted the service,
assisted by Rev. O. D. Hauck, Rev. A. Goetschel and Presiding Elder Jonas.
The floral offerings were numerous and surpassing in beauty, particularly
the tribute from the members of the Epworth League, of which the deceased
during his lifetime was a faithful and earnest member. The pall bearers
were Louis Wernli, Wm. Aupperle, Fred Kleinsorge, Bert Kluckhohn, Chas.
Hamm, and Arthur Hirsch.

Besides many friends from LeMars, a large number from Stanton and Lincoln
where the family formerly lived were present.

Relatives present from other towns to attend the funeral were: Mr. Peter
Fissel and Mrs. Henry Winter, of Emery, S.D.; Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Schaffer and
Mr. and Mrs. Chris Lucke, of Schaller, Iowa; and Mr. John Kentz, of
Kingsley, an old friend of the family.

The remains were laid to rest in the City cemetery.

LeMars Semi-Weekly Sentinel
August 16, 1897

FUNERAL RUNAWAY
Teams Scared by a Steam Thresher. The Coffin Thrown Out and Broken.

While coming to LeMars Saturday morning with the body of the infant son of
Emerick Schnell of Union Twp., the procession met a steam thresher near
LeMars and several of the teams were scared and ran away. The wagon in
which the coffin was carried was overturned and the coffin thrown out. One
end of the coffin was broken in and the damages were so serious that the
corpse was not shown in church.

No one was seriously hurt, but several teams were badly cut in the wire
fences and wagons were badly broken up. The funeral was delayed two or
three hours.

LeMars Globe-Post

August 18, 1897

OUT OF WHOLE CLOTH.

The Shocking Story About the Schnell Funeral Purely Imaginary.

The report that while the funeral procession bearing the remains of the infant son of Mr. and Mrs. Emerick Schnell to LeMars on Saturday a steam thresher was met and that some of the teams ran away throwing out the coffin and breaking it and that several teams were cut in the wire fences, had no foundation in fact and was purely the invention of some imaginative person whose small story grew to be a mountain. The report was a severe reflection of those in charge of the funeral and those in charge of the thresher and all persons have been done an injury by its circulation. A steam thresher was on the road at a considerable distance ahead of the funeral procession and before they came any where near the meeting point, the thresher was clear out beside the road giving all of the road at a motion from Rev. Hauck indicating that the procession would meet them.

After the thresher had given all of the road, Rev. Hauck saw that he could lead the procession by another road and not pass near and that road was taken. The only incident on which the story could have rested was the breaking of the end of a wagon at the Schnell house on account of the teams being too close together and the disabled wagon was left out of the procession.

LeMars Sentinel, Thursday, August 19th, 1897

O’LEARY.

(Special Correspondence)

The neighbors of Mr. and Mrs. Schnell attended the funeral of their baby in LeMars, Saturday. The Schnell family live on section 6, Union township.

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We Were Misinformed.

The SENTINEL reporter regrets exceedingly that the item in regard to the accident at the Schnell funeral in Saturday’s daily should have appeared in print. There was no such occurrence as related, the SENTINEL having been misinformed as to the circumstances. The accident, which did occur, was of the slightest, happened near the house at starting, and in no wise interfered with the order and solemnity of the occasion.

LeMars Sentinel
Aug. 31, 1897

DEATH OF STEPHEN REEVES

One of the Prominent Pioneers of Plymouth County Dies at Garretson

Stephen Reeves died at Garretson, South Dakota, Sunday, August 28, 1897, at
8:20 o'clock p.m. He was born in Kent, England, May 10, 1824, was married
in 1843 to Rhoda Reeves and came with her to America in 1849, settling in
Schenectady, New York, where his wife died, November 13, 1852, leaving two
small children and on January 1, 1853, he was married to Mrs. Abigail
Magulphin, of Schenectady, New York. This union was blessed with nine
children, all of whom are still living. He moved to Kane County, Illinois,
in 1855 and was a successful farmer there until 1868, when he moved to
Plymouth County, Iowa, and located on a homestead in Elgin Township which
adjoins the town of Seney, where he resided through all the vicissitudes of
pioneer life and saw the wild prairie bloom into beautiful homes. In 1886
he moved to eastern Iowa, where he resided for a few months, then moving to
Nebraska, where he lived for two years when he again moved back to Plymouth
county, but soon concluded to cast his lot in South Dakota and moved to
Garretson, where he spent the last six years of his life.

During the pioneer years of Plymouth county, Iowa, he was prominent in
public affairs, holding many offices of trust, among them being a member of
the board of county supervisors, in which capacity he made an honorable
record. He was a consistent member of the M.E. Church and lived a religious
life, trusting in the Master always and setting an excellent example for the
large family of children which came to his care. He was a loving father and
husband to the dear wife and children who are left to mourn his departure
who can never find anyone to fill the vacant place left in their hearts by
his going.

His second wife, Abigail Reeves and their children, also the children of his
first wife, all survive him as follows: Samuel Reeves of Hitchcock,
Nebraska; Mrs. Sarah J. Small of LeMars, Iowa; William H., Walter S.,
Josephine and Alfred H. Reeves of Garretson, South Dakota; A.M. Reeves and
Mrs. M. H. Sheely of Sioux City, Iowa; M.S. Reeves of South Sioux City,
Nebraska. His surviving wife also had two children by a former husband, who
were babes when she married the subject of our sketch and they were the same
as his own. They are Mrs. Sarah M. Jenkins of Akron, Iowa, and Mrs. E.
Callihan of Oregon. All the members of the family with their husbands and
wives were present at the last sad rites, excepting Samuel and Anna, who
were too far away to get the summons in time.

Funeral services were held at the M.E. Church at Garretson on Monday, August
30th, at 4 o'clock p.m. and the remains taken to Sioux City on the Sioux
City & Northern train where they were taken to the residence of M.H.
Sheeley, one of his sons-in-law, and a short service held on Tuesday
morning, after which interment was made in Logan Park Cemetery.

To those who knew Uncle Stephen, as he was called in life, it is hard to
realize that he has gone. His familiar voice and step will long be missed
by friends. He has gone to receive the crown of glory of which he
constantly talked while with us here below. He died, as he lived, praising
God, from whom all blessings flow.