The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1896-12-25
A LITTLE HERO.
Pathetic Story of a Minnesota Lads EFF
fort tn Save Younger Brother.

Pathetic Story of a Minnesota Lads Eff
fort t" Save Younger Brother.
Under date of Crookston, Mimi, No
vember II, a correspondent writes:
DEPUTY Coroner Wyatt has returned
from Numedal, where he went To in
yestigate the circumstances surrounding
the death of Otto Olson, a 6-year-old
boy whose body, was found on the prai-
rte.
His story is most pathetic one. 1t
appears that the childs father resides
with a married daughter who is the
eldest of his three children, Otto being
the youngest On Friday the daughter
drove to Thief River Falls. leaving Otto
at home with his brother John, aged il.
Some time during the day the two boys
walked couple of miles to visit some
neighboring children, where they stayed
till shutdown. Soon after starting for
home snowstorm came Oh and Ozark
ness with it, and the boys lost their way.
on the wide and desolate prairie They
trudged bravely, ON and on until Otto
began to cry with cold and fatigue. John
arms and carried him. Otto still COM
planned of being cold and John stopped
and took off his coat and, wooden shirt
and wrapping them closely about the lit
tie one, placed him on his shoulder again,
and, picking up his gun, continued the
weary search for shelter. The hours
dragged slowly by ard John dared not
pause to rest. The little one had fallen
asleep on his shoulder, and hope, which
had almost deserted the older boy, was
rekindled by seeing light glimmer in
the distance. He fastened forward
towards the light, but after little the.
spark died out, leaving the children once
more alone on the bleak prairie.
lat last daylight broke and John dis
covered that his little brother had quiet
ly died of cold and exposure while he.
was trying to carry him to a place Of
safety. He himself was so fatigued and
benumbed that he was unable to cry out
and almost unable to move. He reached
q piece of plowed ground, and, depositings
the lifeless form of his brother on the:
ground. he placed his gun in the earth
for a mark and struggled EDWARDS.
j.. "At about O'clock on Saturday morn
ing Ole Arneson came to- his door and
looked out across the plowcd field in
front Of his home, and noticed some
moving object in the distance through
the snow. He watched it for few
moments and saw that it looked like some
human creature, All at once the mo-
perfectly still. He jumped on horseback
and rode out to see what it was. He
was Mortified to discover that it was lit
tie John Olson lying there apparently
dead. The boy w;is carried to Mr.. Arne-
sons home and rcstoratives applied.
Mr.. Arneson mounted bis horse again
and rode across the prairie to his sons
place to tell his daughter-in-law. of the
condition i'll which he liatl found her
brother. No one was yet at home. In
quiries were then made as to the where
abouts Of Otto The npighbers were
aroused and Search began. Rrstoratiyes
at last brought John Olson to conscious
ness. On being asked if. he knew where
Otto was, the boy said: :s'Otto4was about
forty rods from me- and then relapsed
son hastened back to the place and soon
discovered Otto'ss body. lying alongside
the upright gun.
"John is still very weak from tho ef-
fects of his long nights labor through
the cold, the prairie wind and the: storm.
His. experience is one which few men