The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-07-31
TWO YOUNG LIVES ARE
CLAIMED BY THE RIVER
WALTER JESSE AND WILLIE TAYLOR
DROWNED WHILE BATHING
Clothing Left on Bank of Stream Is Mute Evidence
That Boys Had Been Swallowed Up By
The Minnesota

From FRIDAYS Daily.
The Minnesota river has claimed
two more lives, making six in Manka-
to or vicinity for the present year,
and the drowning season is not half
over yet This time it was two little
boys and the circumstances as pittifnl
as they could well be.
Yesterday afternoon at about four
o'clock, Walter Jesse, the nine year
old son of Mrs. Dorothy Jesse re-
siding at 424 North Fourth street,
and Willie Taylor, the eight year
old son of Mr. and Mrs. William Tay-
lor, residing at 426 North Fourth
street, crossed the bridge with several
other boys and went in bathing on the
North Mankato side, nearly opposite
the knitting mill. After a while the
party returned to this side of the RI
yer, and at half past five o'clock
the two little boys were seen play
ing croquet on Henry Zimmerman
Jr.'s lawn. After that they seem to
have decided to 60 in bathing again
by themselves, and crossed the river
and removed their clothing and
went in where they did before. They
could not have been in long before
they waded out to where there is
sudden pitchoff. The river is very
shallow where they went in, but some
distance out are submerged excava-
lions where clay has been taken for
use at the brick yard. 1t was into
one of these that the little boys slip
ped or stepped. Once off their feet
the current had tendency to take
them into deeper water, and where
they struggled with no one, to see
or help them until they finally sank
to their death. lt r. 3]rs.jt,,
Discovered BY Boys.
At about seven O'Clock several older
boys including the Bienapf boys, went
to the place to battle and saw the
two little piles of clothes on the bank
and thought that the .hoysi were
in bathing further down stream They
went into the water and ,waded down
stream and sported in the water, but
did not see. the little boys.2u Half
an hour later, Fred Moehlenbrock, who
works in the Free Press office, and
another boy went to the place to go
in swimming, and the boys already in
told them of the piles of clothes, and
not finding the boys. They looked
at the clothing and knew that it be-
loned to the Jesse and Taylor boys,
and concluded that the little fellows
had drowned. Going to the police sta.
ton in this city, they reported the
facts, and the officers notified the
parents.
Search for the Bodies.
1t was not long before a number
of people had repaired to the point
where the boys had been swimming,
and H. c. Small brought his boat
and with a party began a search. Frank
Wildes, the North Mankato black
smith who found the bodies of the
two young ladies who were recently
drowned, took his little duck boat
and his graphing hooks and began a
systematic raking of the bottom
of the deep holes, after the shallower
places had been thoroughly explored.
At about 1880 o'clock Mr.. Wildes
brought the body of the Jesse boy to
the surface, and it was taken to
his mothers home. Half an hour la
ter, Mr.. Wildes recovered the body Of
the Taylor boy, and it was taken to
the undertaking room of Landkamer
Bros, & Davidson. Both bodies were
found in eight or ten feet of water, and
about block below where the clothes
were piled. They were about fifty
feet apart. Great credit is due Messrs.
WiIdes and Small. Chief Kleinschmitt
and Al. Ross of the fire department
and Joseph Kircher of the North Man
kato fire company, with graphing
hooks, assisted in the search.
Willie Taylor was born at Mazappa,
Wabasha county, and came to Man
kato with his parents about three
years ago. His father is a brother
of former Mayor Charles T. Taylor.
He attended the Union school, He
was one of twin brothers, and the other
brother and two sisters are left.
Walter Jesse was born and raised
in Mankato. His parents are separa
ted, the father living near Mapleton.
He left several brothers and sisters
older than he was. He attended the
German Lutheran school.
Both boys were bright little fellows
and constant playmates since Mrs.
Jesse recently moved into the house
next to the Taylors. Their sudden tax
ing off is great blow to their fam
lilies and friends.
The parents had never permitted the
boys to go to the river to battle,
and supposed that they were patron
izing the Young Men Christian asso-
citation swimming pool, as the boys
said they were going there, but it'll
seems that they got in crowd with
older boys and went to the river
and forgot parental cautions and in
functions.
Pool Open to ALI Boys.
The Young Mems Christian associa