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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