The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1898-07-28
FOUR LRDIES DROWNED.
Accidental Drowning In Morton In
Which Four Young Ladies
Lose Their Lives.
Barbara and Rachel Gale, Martha
Lohrenz and Alvina RietZ
The Victims.

The Misses Barbara and Rachel
Gale, daughters. of p. Gale of Nor
ton, the Misses Martha Lohrenz, re-
siding with the Quehl family in Nor
ton, and Alvina Rietz, daughter of
well-known residents of Lone Tree
Lake township, Brown county, we're
accidentally drowned in the Mime
sofa river, half mile west of the vii
lage of Morton in Renville county,
shortly after three o'clock last Thurs
day afternoon. The Young ladies were
between the ages of Is and % years
old.
The accident occurred near the
slaug ghtering house of Keefe & Farrell
of Morton. The Misses Gale and
Lohrenz were entertaining Miss Rietz,
who had came down from Fairfax a
day or two previous, where her par
ents supposed she was at the time OF
the accident, for the purpose of visit
ing with the young Morton ladies for
a few days. They started on a walk
up the Minnesota river, and on reach
ing spot very near the slaughtering
house one of the party suggested 60
ing in bathing. The suggestion was
met witha ready response, and the
young ladies disrobed, Miss Lohrenz
stripping entirely nude while the 9th
or members OF the party wore che
misses. They hung their garments on
some willows on the shore of the river,
and all waded in, crossing to the op-
posite side.
| About the same time Mrs. Henry
FRANKIE of Morton, accompanied by
her daughter, and Bridget Rush and
Minnie Ewerts, about eight years old
respectively, had crossed the bridge,
and gone up on the opposite side Of
the river to pick gooseberries, taking
with them light lunch. The girls
got some jelly on an umbrella and
went over to the river banks to wash
it off. While there they saw the four
young ladies in bathing, and the Rush
and Ewerts girls went down to the
place. The four bathers spoke to
them few moments, after which
Martha Lohrenz went into the water,
and according to both of the Young
girls, now the only living witnesses to
the horrible accident, waded out to
where the water came up to her
shoulders. All of q sudden she
shrieked, and Miss Rietz jumped into
the water to save her friend. She
caught her by the hand, but was
pooled into the deep whirlpool with
the first victim. Barbara Gale was
the next to rush to the rescue of her
friends, only to be likewise pulled to
death by the grip of Miss Rietz, and
her shrek called Rachael Gale. who
gave her life in attempting to save
that Of her lady friends. 1t appears
that the latter did not reach the spot
in time to catch her sister, but in hel
desperate effort to save her stepped
into the deep water and to death. The
victims all came up and went down
the usual number of times, except
Barbara Gale, who seems to have
been pulled down by the third sink.
ing of the first two of her comrades tc
get into the pool.
The little girls on the shore rushed
to Mrs. FRANKIE and told her that the
girls must be drowning, as they die
not come up from what they supposed
was diving frolic. Mrs. FRANKIE saw
Rachel Gale struggling for the third
time before sinking in the water, and
rushed for help. She met Mr.. Seifert
of Morton, who was engaged to the
eldest Gale girl, and the latter lost
his judgment over hearing the news
He rushed to the river, but insisted
that the girls could not have been
drowned in that spot, and then rushed
up to town to impart the news.
A few minutes and all Morton wat
rushing to the river. Men stripped te
their underclothing and commenced 6
search for the bodies, and in about fif
teen minutes the body of Miss Rietz
was found. 1t was brought to shore
and everv effort was made TO resusci