Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1869-11-19
Published by request.l
"Life Is uncertain; Death Is sure"

1t often becomes our painful duty to rec
ord the death of some friend or relative. but
when one in the bloom of youth and dearly
beloved is taken from among us, with warn
ing of little more than forty-eight hours, we
fear that our hearts are not so fully prepared
as they should be, to say, /" Thy 'OiH Do done"
The subject of this memoir ROBERT f. + Err
eUsoN, aged 10 years months and % days,
was bitten by rattlesnake, on Thursday
Sept. ID, and on Saturday. at twelve o'clock,
his spirit was called home to its Maker leav-
ing the lifeless body with mourning friends
and relatives. The circumstances leading to
his death are as follows: On Thursday morn
ing he, with his mother and some cousins
went out for the purpose of gathering plums
As they We're returning, he was gathering
flowers along the path, and seeing some but
short distance away, went with his cousin,
FREDDY ALDRICH, to get them. When near
the place he was seen to stop. suddenly stoop
down. but quickly regain his position and at
the same time utter loud strange cry, that
will never be forgotten by those who heard
him. He thought he was standing on FREE
DY's foot. and that brier was scratching him,
but on STOPPING down to remove the intruder
he discovered that he was standing on large
rattlesnake, while it was being piercing him
with its poisonous fangs. 1t struck him some
five or six times on the instep OF the left foot
When his mother first reached him he said
something was choking him, and the whites
of his eyes had the appearance of blood.
They soon, however, became of a yellow
cast, accompanied by wild look. His limb
was tightly bandaged /; his wounds were
bathed with water. Soda was applied, and
il is supposed that not more than half an hour
had elapsed from the time of the accident till
his system was perfectly saturated with
whisky. 1t took almost quart to produce
the desired effect. A doctor was sent for'
and all that poor. frail humanity could do,
was done but death had marked its victim,
and would not be cheated. He said from the
first he would not get well, ard did not even
want them to send for a doctor, but when his
mother told him if he should die, and they
had no doctor, she could never get over it,
he told her to send if she wanted to but he
knew it would do no good. As soon almost
as he was laid upon the bed he commenced
bleeding at the nose, which continued with
but little cessation during his life. Often he
would bring up in his mouth, large pieces
that looked more like flesh than coagulated
blood. Thursday night his suffering was in
tense He imagined most every one and ev-
erything to be a rattlesnake, and would hiss
and go almost precisely like one. But with
the. mornings dawn a calmness seemed to
have taken possession Of him, and he talked
like one far beyond his years.
He was naturally of mischievous DISPOSE
ton, but would always tell the truth at all
times and under all circumstances He told
his mother he was sorry he had ever done
anything wrong and asked her and every one
else to forgive him. He said he had asked
God to forgive him and felt that he had done
so: Placing his arms around his brothers
neck he said Minor, amt you sorry we ever
| quarreled l am, won't you forgive me ?"
He told him not to cry but to be good boy,
never to quarrel with other boys and tell all
his schoolmates to be good and meet him in
Heaven. To his father he said, Pa, / love
| you, I'll be good boy" and when his father
told him he loved him too, and knew he was
good boy, he said, +" Won't you be good too?
appeal for a child to make Could an angel
from heaven have made greater? Parents
take warning and be careful of The example
| you set before your children. He said many
| times, i" 1t is all for the best, for if l should
get well might be bad man, and rather
than be bad man, had better die now"
Twice he asked for prayer, but did not
want us to pray that his life might be spared.
unless he should become a good and useful
man. He talked a great deal, but enough has
already been said 10 show that he possessed a
mind capable of the highest attainments. He
was born near Augusta, Bracken Co., Ky,
May 9th, 1859, removed with his parents to
| Pierce county Wis. in October, 1867. and
settled on Big River near It's mouth where
they still reside. He never liked this country
and was always trying 10 save everything he
could, i'll order TO get back. He had the
promise of being educated at the Kentucky
University, upon which his whole thoughts
seemed to have been centered. His death
has cast a sadness over large circle of friends
and relatives both here and elsewhere None
can feel his loss more deeply than her, for
whose pleasure his young life was sacrificed.
| for he was gathering flowers to please his
Aunt whom he expected to be with on
the next evening. 1t has been said that,
| "As from the wing, the sky no scar retains;
The parting wave no furrow from the keel,
| SO dies in man the thought of DEATH"
But we hope the impression will not so
soon be erased from the minds of those who
stood around his death bed, brit that each
and every one of us may look upon it as an
| affiicton sent from God to draw US nearer to
himself. And when we come TO leave this
world Of sin and sorrow, may we meet with
| him around the throne of God, there to sing