Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1906-07-25
MEETS n SUDDEN Death
1nltus lEtll $spleteer, an Old Resident Of the
$% Town Of Woods, Meets Death in
Branch of Judicial Ditch.

aine entire community was shocked
last Friday eveningsAwhen the news
was brought to town by. o. W. Gibbs
and 9! r. Schiller, that Julius Spletter,
a,well known farmer, residing about
hye miles northwest of Raymond in
the tl1 town of Woods, had been found
dead In the ditch near his place, which
has been constructed by the Gibbs &
4'olveSdredging machine this summer.
Ihe body was discovered by Otto and
EhlIllp Gibbs about seven O'Clock in
tne evening. They had completed
thear days work and had procured a
Doat to row down to the dam to take
SWIM. Upon their arrival they saw
something floating in the water and
upon investigation found it to be the
body OF a man which closely resembled
MT. Spletter. Being somewhat ex.
cited over the horrible discovery they
lett the scene and hurried to the neigh.
oors to give the alarm, who at once
rushed to the scene and took the body
70 shore. In the meantime Messrs
Gibbs and Schiller drove to town and
conveyed the news to relatives and
frlends OF the deceased here and also
notified the coroner, DR.. Zimback al
Montevideo. AS the coroner could
not get here he deputized Or. McMa.
non, who in"company with number
OF citizens and Herman Wegner, a
son-in-law OF the deceased, went out
TO hold an inquest, but upon investi-
CATION found that no inquest was nee
essary as death was not the result OF
drowning but came from cramps and
subsequent heart. failure.
Mr.. Spletter had been in Raymond
all afternoon, leaving for home about
$500 o'clock. He arrived home and
put up his team, and as the day had
been very hot and he was very fond o1
swimming he proceeded to the dam to
take swim as he had often done be-
fore. The supposition is that he went
in voluntarily as his clothes were
found upon the bank and being over.
heated from the long drive in the sun
the sudden change to the cold water
was too much for him to overcome
and he was taken with cramps and
heart failure. When found he was
clinging to the bank with both hands,
his body perfectly rigid. That he did
not drown is a certainty as close ex.
animation of the body revealed this
fact. His wife and family knew moth.
ing of his Whereabouts, but supposed
that after his arrival home firm towr
be had taken walk thru the} field as
was often his custom, and the shock
of his sudden death to them can hard
ly be described.
: Deceased was born in Germany anC
had he lived until the 4th day of Au
gust would have been ffty-two years
OF age. He came to this country with
his family nineteen yearseago and set
:3edson a farm near Montevideo,, where
he resided for seven years, after which
he came here and took up his abode
on the farm in town Of Woods, his
late home. He leaves to mourn hi:
| untimely death grief stricken wife
and eight children, as follows: Mrs
II. Wegner, Raymond; Max Spletter
Montevideo; Rudolph Spletter, Spen
Ger, Iowa; Mrs. Schonek, Montevideo
and Ewald, Otto, Lille and Lena, al
at home; also brother, Gotliel
Spletter, residing at Montevideo. AL
the above mentioned relatives were
present at the funeral, which was helt
from the German Lutheran church O
this place last Sunday af ernoon, Rev
e. Boyer officiating, and intermen
was made in the Lutheran cemetery il
the south part of town. The sympath,
of the entire community goes out tt
the bereaved family in this their hou
of sorrow and Raymond
News, Goth inst.