Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1880-08-13


tire community, While losing such ! a
a nice and promising boy caused almost
unbearable to come upon Mr.. Ped
/ ley and Instantly, the case Of the other,
/ hoy was, ifpossible, more grievous, as his
sister, EllaiA. Kendall, lay on her death.
| bed at home, and only survived him ten
tday. Although she several times called
for her brother it was not deemed proper
to inform Her what had befallen him, so
she died ignorant of the fact that Walter
/ had gonea before her He was sixteen
years OF. age -, ~ ..G5z ~
Early ii the spring of 1871, near the
time to begin driving logs on the small
streams, the ice in the Mississippi being
still in butiEquite rotten and full Of holes,
Baptist SGhouinard, a man with =. a
large family, who lived in Belle Prairie
about twoI miles north Of Little Falls,
was drowned. He went to Little Falls
and purchased a, pair of driving boots,
and 4other7nece ecessaries for driving, after
which he got in with his friends and in
dulged a little too freely in spirituous
drinks. He tarried in town until after
dark, and the night turning out to be.
very dark and rainy, heegot off the road
Thy some means and wandered down to
the river He walked out onto the ice
few rods, when he walked into hole and
was drowned not far from his own house.
His family heard his shrieks for help a
few moments, after which all was still.
On search being made in the morning
his track from the shore to the hole he
walked into was plain to be seen. His
body was found in an eddy about five
miles below after spring opened. Mr..
Schouinard was one Of the oldest settlers
in the county, and had many relatives in
the country.
A Mr.. Bokaneck, who lived on the
north bank of the south Two Rivers,
about three miles above the mouth Of the
river, was away at work on the south side
Of that stream when the high freshet of
1867 came on. He started to go home,
and when he came to the stream oppo-
site his house, in the evening, he called
to his wife, who advised him not to try
to cross there, but to go where he could
get boat. She supposed that he would
do so, and was contented until his non
appearance forced the conviction on her
mind that he had undertaken to cross and
was drowned. This proved to be correct
as his head body was afterwards found in
the stream below.
A sad occurrence took place in the
town of Two Rivers about the middle Of
October, 1870, at which time two Danish
children got lost and perished in the
woods, a son and daughter of Andrew
Peterson, who came there and settled on
a homestead in the early spring Of that
year Being very poor Mr.. Peterson was
obliged to go away to earn provisions to
support his family, consisting of himself,
wife and five children. Before leaving
home he bought q COW which he left with
his family while he went away to work,
which he did not find until he reached
Minneapolis. EIe remained there at
work until he heard that two Of his
children were lost, when he hurried home
and found that the two Oldest children,
Maria, aged nine years, and his son,
Christian, aged seven years, were lost in
1 the woods, and persons searching for
them The number of men searching
the country during the first five Or six
days after their loss was reported at about
fifty About:that time an instrument
called the Planchct, supposed to write as
directed by spirits or supernatural pow
er, being In full vogue in that section of
country, was consulted. 1t would con-
tinually write that the children could be
found two miles due northwest, near
large oak treeE Accordingly most of the
hunting was I=done in that section Of
country. After searching until all hopes
of their being found alive were aban-
doned, the force of men discontinued
their search + Their whereabouts re-
NAMED unknbwn until about the last Of
November of that year, when an Indian
by the namc & No-vage-sek by accident
found the girlsson the south bank of the
south Two Risers, at distance of nearly
four miles FROM their home, from whence
they had wandered. The girl had gold
ear drops in Ier ears, which the Indian
took out, and lie carried them to Melrcse
and informed the people there that he
had found the dead body ora girl on the
Two Rivers, describing the place the best
he could, and|h lie gave up the ear drops as
, evidence that sshe had told the truth. A
man from Melrose Immediately came
b over to the settlement on Two Rivers, and
a party went out to hunt them up. Fol
lowing the Objection given they had but
little trouble ih. finding Them first dis
covering the girl, as: she was plain in
view. Then looking abont for the boy,
which the Indian did not see, they found
:, him but about3,one rod away. his feet be.
ing over the bank and his body covered
with grass and leaves. They were thinly
clad, and the old shawl that the girl had
on WHEN she went away was folded up
and laid under her head. According tc
the appearance of the children, those
who found them came to the conclusion
that they crossed the, river where they
were found, as at that point tree lay
:, across the stream, and that in crossing or
r the tree the boy fell in and was drowned
t the girl afterwards getting hold of hin
and dragging him onto the bank ant
covering him up where. he lay whel
r found; then lingering about she starvet
to death, as she was mere skeleton, and
had evidently tried to eat grass as he
> mouth was full Of it. The boy was abou
, as plump and round as when he lef
! home. The children before they got los
had been accustomed to go out a little be
, fore night and bring up their COW, ant
on the night they got lost they started ou
) later than common. When found they
) We're brought home and buried
& A few days after the children
!. were found Mr.. Peterson's shanty tool
: fire and burned down, consuming nearI,
I EalI of his household goods. His neigh
{ bors rendered him such relief as the,
!, , were able by contributions from thei
! scanty stores. Nr. Peterson still live