How sad...it's almost as if we were there. Thank you Nancee for a view of their lives in those 'laid back, easier times'. -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Nancee Seifert Sent: Saturday, December 05, 2009 2:49 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [IADECATU] JESSIE ARNOLD'S DEATH -- EXHAUSTION THE CAUSE Decatur County Journal Leon, Iowa Thursday, May 18, 1911 Further particulars concerning the sad death of JESSIE ARNOLD, formerly of near Leon, which occurred near Egbert, Wyoming, have reached his brother RAY ARNOLD, of this city, and other relatives and friends here. From a letter written to S.A. Gates by Mrs. W.E. Porter, formerly of High Point Township, Decatur County, it is learned that the coroner's inquest resulted in finding that the young man, whose body was found lying in the snow within a half mile of his home, was not lost, but had died of heart failure caused by exhaustion. The letter of Mrs. Porter follows: Egbert, Wyoming, May 5, 1911. I will write a few lines this morning as I wish to write an account of JESSIE ARNOLD's death. On April 28th, JESSIE ARNOLD and his father in company with other men in this neighborhood went with nine teams to the mountains for wood and posts. They had been fencing Mr. ARNOLD's claim, fifteen miles north of Cheyenne. They got their wagons loaded with wood and posts and started back on Saturday morning, April 29. It rained on them and wet them through and it then turned cold and the rain turned to snow, and they were very cold. Among the party was a woman driving a team for Mr. Cook. She was his housekeeper. She got very cold and asked JESSIE to drive her team. Just through kindness, he did drive for her, and as he had pneumonia this winter, his father insisted on him taking his fur overcoat beside his own. Owing to the heavy loads they double teamed on some hills, and Mr. ARNOLD stopped and fed his team at noon, so JESSIE and Mr. Cook arrived at the cross roads about two hours sooner then Mr. ARNOLD. Mr. Cook asked JESSIE to go home with him, but JESSIE said: "No I will go on and have a fire for Pa. Pa will be cold." So he started to walk the two miles. His father drove home about four o'clock in the evening and it was a real blizzard. He supposed JESSIE had gone home with Mr. Cook and did not go to see until Sunday morning. He rode horseback to Mr. Cook's and he found he had not been there. He got the neighbors and they hunted all day and Sunday night and on Monday at 2 o clock p.m. Found him lying on his face with his arm under his forehead. There were tears frozen on his face and in his eyes. He was not lost, was not off the trail. The coroner found he died of heart failure, caused by exhaustion. He was only half a mile from home. While searching for him they found his father's fur overcoat where JESSIE had hung it in an old dry well as it and his own made such a load to carry. His father drove near him Saturday night and rode by him several times while searching for him. The snow covered him. Sunday evening his father became snow blind and sat up all night Sunday through such an agony of suspense and pain with his eyes Mrs. Myrtle Bledsoe went to Cheyenne on Monday and was with her mother. She was not told about JESSIE until they found him. They brought his body to Egbert on May 3 and buried him in Burns May 5. It is very sad, Mr. And Mrs. ARNOLD are both taking this trouble so hard. All their neighbors were kind. The ones in Cheyenne buying flowers, carnations. Henry Bledsoe accompanied the body to Egbert and they buried him at Burns, seven miles west of Egbert. The people at Egbert sent flowers also, and all tried to help them all they could. The father and mother are both better now. ---------------------------------------------------------- Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert December 5, 2009 [email protected] www.iagenweb.org/decatur ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message