Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 September 1898 — A Baby Drowned in a Tub. [ARTICLE]

A Baby Drowned in a Tub.

A lamentable accident occurred here Sunday, resulting in the death of a little child. It was Myrtle, youngest child of Ira J. and Mattie Morlan, and occurred at 11 o’clock a. m. at their residence at the corner of Plum and Franklin streets. The baby was just beginning to walk easily, and at that time Mr. Morlan had just gone to the back of his lot, to his poultry yard and Mrs. Morlan had also stepped out for a few minutes, and the baby, unnoticed by the other children, pushed open the screen door and went out on the back porch, where sat a tub full of recently caught rain-water. Into this she fell and when Mrs. Morlan missed her a few minutes later, she found the baby lying on her back under the water in the tub. Mr. Morlan thinks that at the most the child could not have been in the tub to exceed five minutes, and at first hopes were entertained that she might be resuscitated, and Drs. Johnson and English were called; but after two hours unavailing efforts, found that their task wjas hopeless. The child’s age was 1 year, 3 months and 25 days. The funeral was held Monday afternoon at the Christian church, by Elder J. L. Brady, assisted by Elder N. H. Shepherd.