Otto Minninger (1883-1896)
Drowned
Otto Minninger and Benedict Buckley
Two Hearses; Two Caskets; Two Corpses; Two Sets of Pall Bearers and Two Sets of Mourners. A Sad Spectacle.
Last Sunday morning at about 6 o'clock Andrew Jansen, a young man in the employ of John Hack, was walking along the bank of the mill pond and when opposite that part of it known as the "narrows" he discovered clothes lying in the brushes and on closer investigation found that some one was in the water or rather on the water for the body had risen. He immediately gave the alarm which soon brought a large crowd to the place. Means were soon provided for taking the body from the water when to everybody's sad surprise the second body was seen to be lying at the bottom of the pond directly under the one that was floating and which was brought to surface by Henry Peterson diving after it. Who the boys were was the all absorbing question which was soon set to rest when some one found books bearing the names of the two lads in their clothing. The dead boys proved to be Otto Minninger son of Mr and Mrs. Nickolas Minninger and Benedict Buckley son of Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Buckley. Both families live east of town about three miles. The boys were here Saturday taking instructions preparatory to being confirmed in the Catholic faith in the near future. Just at what time the accident happened will perhaps never be known but it must have been after 7 o'clock in the evening as George Waters saw the Buckley boy at that hour in the post office. The probablilties are that they waited until near dark intending to go in bathing and go directly home from there as their dinner pails were found along with their clothing. The ____ where they were drowned is about eight feet deep and the place only a few feet from the water where Leopold Bixenman was drowned about eighteen months ago. The bodies after being taken from the water were laid upon the bank until Dr. Brannon deputy coroner of Crown Point could be notified. He arrived here near noon and held an inquest; the verdict being accidental drowning. They were then taken to the undertaker rooms of Martin Schur where they were kept until the funeral hour Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. at the Catholic church where a very large number congregated to pay tribute of respect and to express their sympathy for the bereaved parents and friends; the Rev. Father Gusse preaching a very feeling and sympathetic sermon for each after which they were laid to rest in the Catholic cemetery northeast of town. The boys whose ages were about 12 and 14 are spoken of [by] those who knew as bright, manly little fellow. Two hearses, two caskets; two corpses; two sets of pall bearers and two sets of mourners in one procession is indeed a sad spectacle to behold and the parents and friends have the deep sympathy of this entire community in their sad bereavement and may they be given the strength to bear up under their great weight of sorrow.Return to Biographies.