The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1922-07-13
SEARCHERS FIND JOE
DODGE LAST SATURDAY
But Death Claims Him Within
an Hour After Searchers
Bring Him Out of the Woods
Near 3rule.

One of the most pitiful cases that
has ever come to the attention of the
people of Bayfield, county was that
of the death of little Joe Dodge, five
year old son of Mr.. and Mrs. Guy
Dodge of Pearson in western Bay
field county, who came to his death
by exposure and starvation after re-
naming in the wilds of western Bay
field county for more than six days.
When found only spark of life
remained in the little form that had
withstood the weather without food
or water for nearly week and that
frail thread snapped after he had
been brought to the farm home of
Mr.. Clemits by the searchers.
Little, Joe Dodge left the home
of his parents near Pearson last Sun
day morning and was not missed un-
til about noon hour. He was clad
only in a suit of overalls, and was
barefooted and bareheaded. The
parents Immediately started search
fir the lad and soon neighbors joined
but night came on without the boy
being found, and the search was
continued throughout the night with
out avail.
The following day it was learned
that the boy had been seen on the road
one nile north of Brule, and about a
mile and half across country from
the Dodge farm, and he was again
seen by parties north of Brule, but
little did they think at the time THAI
the lad was lost, thinking perhaps
that he was the son of farmers re-
siding in that section.
On Monday the parents came to
Brule and notified the people there
of the loss of the BOY and big party
of searchers started out from Brule
and began securing the country in
every direction, but without result.
Tuesday Iron River people were
asked to join in the search and each
day from fifty to three hundred peo-
pie were engaged IN the search and
this was continued until Friday night,
but no trace of the little fellow could
be found.
Theron Loveland, of Minneapolis,
was one of those securing the woods
daily for the little boy, and on Friday
night he determined to get enough
men from distant points to cover
the woods through and sent out calls
to Washburn, Bayfield,, Iron River,
Superior, Duluth, Pott Wing, and
other places, asking them to send
every available man to Brule on Sat
urday morning. More than three
hundred men from all sections re-
sponded to that call and at eleven
o'clock Saturday morning the men
lined up along the road where the
boy was last seen, to begin sys-
tematic search of every foot of
ground.
The men were formeed iE line
nearly a mile long and less than ten
feet apart and the first drive was
made to the Brule river. The men then
formed mother line and drove the
country to the north, aarrivirg again
at the place of the beginning without
having found trace of the boy. At
noon the people Of Brule brought
lunch and hot coffee to the searchers,
who. after a brief rest started out
again, this time taking the section
of the country to the east of the
Brule road.
The search had gone about half
mile when the glad cry was sent
along the line that the boy had been
found, and men rushed to the scene.
The boy was found by Hjalmer Frost
man, former Washburn resident, now
residing at Oulu, who was member
of the seaching party, who carried
the little fellow to the farm home OF
MI. Clemits where everything pos
s;bIe was done to revive him, bu'
although faint spark of life re.
NAMED when he was found, this
frail thread soon snapped and life
went out. Death was due to ex
posure and starvation, the boy hav
ing been more than six days withou
food and water.
The place where the boy was founc
told the story of the suffering which
the little lad had gone through dur