CHILDREN DROWN IN RAIN BARREL

TWO TOTS LOSE LIFE IN WATER WHILE MOTHER IS DIGGING POTATOES

Marmarth, N. D., Oct.—One of the most terrible tragedies ever occurring in this vicinity occurred at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Vernan Ostrander when their two youngest children, little girls aged 2 and 4 years were both drowned in one water barrel.

The father was plowing in the fields on his farm and the mother had gone to dig potatoes for the evening meal, with no more thoughts of a tragedy than any other day when she did the same thing. Upon her return she looked everywhere for the little ones who had disappeared during her absence, and after being unable to find them in the house or granary, she went to the water barrel, but little expecting to find them there, as they had always been cautioned not to go there and had never done so previous to this time.

The mother was horrified to find both little bodies in the barrel of water and was immediately overcome with grief upon her discovery. The father hearing the mother's cries of grief came from the fields and took the lifeless little bodies out of the barrel; but too late for resucitation. {sp}

While the mother was at her task of digging the potatoes for supper the little ones had pulled an old hand sled up to the barrel and placed a box on top of the sled, on which they had evidently been standing and gazing into the water. It is quite probable that the little one became overbalanced and fell into the barrel, and the other one had attempted to rescue her with the result she also fell in and both were drowned.

Bowbells Tribune, 10/3/1913