The Turnbo Manuscripts

by Silas Claiborne Turnbo
1844-1925


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LOST AND DIED IN THE DEEP SNOW
By S. C. Turnbo

Here is an account of the death of a little boy.


Though he was not shot accidently through mistake yet it was worse than being shot and should have a place in history and we give it here. J. L. (Jake) Hetherly was born on Hunters Creek a tributary branch of Bryants Fork of Big North Fork on the 9th of September 1850 in what is now Douglas County, Mo. He died at Aurora in Lawrence County Mo. in the year 1900. Mr. Hetherly is my authority for this account. Mr. Hetherly said that Buck McIntosh son of Steve McIntosh aged 9 years started out on the morning of the 23rd of January with a yellow cur dog named "Catch" to kill rabbits and squirrels. The weather on that morning was cloudy cool with light mist of rain and during the day the memorable snow fall of that winter began falling. The child had went into the woods with the dogs many times previous to this and the family rested very easy about him until late in the afternoon when they become alarmed at hit prolonged absence. The neighborhood was aroused and a few men made a search for him and continued to hunt for him during the night but were not able to discover his whereabouts. Late in the night the dog come back home and at break of day on the following morning more men joined in the search. Some of the men attempted to follow the back track of the dog. But the snow storm had not abated and all trace of the dog tracks were obliterated by the falling, All most every one reached the conclusion that the boy was dead and that his body was covered over with snow. The night following that day the searchers returned back home to renew the search the next day. They were all very tired for those on foot had been dragging themselves through the snow all day and those that rode their horses were jaded and themselves cold and wearied. Mr. Steve Marlor remained over night with us. Though I was less than 6 years old yet I remember distinctly what Marlor told my father when he rose from his bed next morning. He said that he dreamed that the little boy was dead and part of his body was lying under a low ledge of shelving rock and that one of his legs was resting on a small bush that stood just on the outside of the rock. Mr. Marlor told every particular of his dream and described it so plain that I remember every thing he said about it. He ended by saying, Buck is dead on Rippys Creek. My mother hurried breakfast and my father and Mr. Marlor started out immediately after breakfast and found the dead body of the boy 4 miles from home on Rippys Creek as told by Mr. Marlor. It appeared that the little boy while in agony of suffering had tried to crawl under the rock but there was only room enough for part of his body and just before death overtook the poor boy he had laid one leg on a bush and was discovered lying in that position. My father and Marlor had taken a home spun woolen blanket with them and they wrapped the dead boy in it and carried him home on a horse and tender hearts placed him to rest in the Hopper Grave Yard."

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