The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1925-07-02
BOY BROWNS AS
PALS LOOK ON
Walter Skendziel, II, Dives
from Boat and browns
at Lily Lake.
BODY NEVER CAME UP
Recover Body After Five Min
utes Search - Coroner
Friend Investigates.

An innocent afternoons frolic at
Lily lake with two of his boy friends
resulted fatally to Walter Skendziel,
II, of 958 Fourth avenue, when he
was drowned in eight feet of water
$50 feet from the shore at that lake
shortly after three o'clock on Friday
afternoon. The boy had been in row.
boat with two of his pals, Randall
Ausen, 90 Eighth avenue, and Harry
Hansen, $50 Sixth avenue, all dressed
in bathing suits, when Walter declar-
ed that he was going to try to swim
to shore. He jumped out of the boat
and never came up again until his
dead body was fshed out of the lake
few minutes later. 1t is believed
that he struck the water in such a
way to- drive the breath out of his
lungs and drowned in that way.
The details of the drowning were
brought to Kenosha late Friday after
noon after Coroner Joseph Friend had
made an investigation when he was
called to the scene of the drowning
The three boys had motored out to
Lily lake early Friday afternoon with
the intentions of taking swim and
then returning to Kenosha. The three
had been swimming for an hour when
they took rowboat. Walter told the
boys that he was going to dive out of
K the boat and see if he could make the
shore, according to the story the boys
told Coroner Friend. In jumping out
of the boat the accident occurred
which cost the lad his life.
Try To Use Pulmotor.
AS soon as the boys in the boat
realized what had happened they both
dived out of the boat in an attempt
to reach their pal. The two boys de-
clared to the coroner that they hac
to grapple With Walter for fully three
minutes before they were able to get
good hold on the body. Both boys
realized that they were being pulled
down with the body, and called for
more help. A man who gave his name
as lessen, and left the scene imme-
diately after the body was brought to
Kenosha, was able finally to assist in
bringing the body to shore, and in the
efforts to revive Walter. Within five
minutes they were able to drag him 70
the surface, but his body was numb
and lifeless. They called to shore for
help and John Niederprim, who was
standing on shore nearby telephoned
to Burlington and a physician with a
pulmotor was called to Lily Lake. An
attempt was made to revive the
drowned boy with the pulmotor but
only a small amount of water was
pumped from his lungs and the eff
forts were in vain.
In the meantime the sheriff's Office
had been called and Coroner Joseph
Friend was notified. AT the scene a
few minutes later Friend ordered the
boy removed to the Mischler morgue
in Kenosha, and the boys widowed
mother was notified.
Besides his mother, Mrs. Bernice
Skendziel, Water is survived by four
sisters and five brothers: Stella,
Mary, Helen, Esther and Ben, John,
Stanley, Peter and Alvin. Funeral
services have not yet been arranged
Word Brings Pail of Grief Here.
The deceased was born in Kenosha
on February 9, 1908, and received his
education at st. Casimir's school, In
recent months he had been employed
in the Peter Nielsen grocery store,
and had attended the Kenosha Voca-
tional school, where he was one of the
most popular students.
When the word was brought to Ke-
nosha that Walter Skendziel had died,
crowd had gathered in the vicinity
of the boys home where his pals have
been wont to meet evenings. There
was pail of sorrow over the entire
neighborhood. The boys went over to
the Skendziel home to see if there
was anything they could do to assuage
the grief of the heart-broken mother.
They shared the grief with the strick-
en- family. .
Today Coroner Joseph Friend an
nounced that there would be no in
quest into the circumstances sur
rounding the death of the boy-the
first drowning case of the season in
Kenosha. He also declared that he
would not order post-mortem exami-
nation of the boys body.