HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY                  519

then come in to dinner. On coming in an hour later, dinner was on the
table, but the mother was absent. Search was made about the house,
then at the barn and the pond. About half past 12 o’clock her son
Louis went to the stock well, about thirty rods from the house, and found
her body floating on the surface, the well full of water. Her slippers
were standing just outside of the curbing in such position as to indicate
that she had so placed them. This, in connection with the fact that her
domestic duties never necessitated her going to this well, led the coroner
to find that she came to her death by intentional drowning. Mrs.
Steuernagel was sixty-five years of age. The burial took place at the
Mennonite church and cemetery in Owen county.

                A Day of Coincidences.
    Monday, the 4th day of December, 1882, is memorable in the history
of the county from the number of notices received by residents, by
telegraph and otherwise, of the fatality of family people in distant
localities. On that day, Charles E. Matson received a wire announcing
the death of a brother, at Columbus, Ohio; Sheriff George Stearley was
summoned to attend the funeral of a cousin; the resident members of the
family at Brazil were given notice of the death of Albert K. Warner, at
Parsons, Kansas, and to his relatives and friends, at Bowling Green,
was broken the news, by telegraph, of the death of Samuel C. N.
Pinckley, at Belle Plain, Kansas.

                Singular Case of Drowning.
    A most phenomenal case of drowning was that of the eleven year
old son of Abram Winn, in Dick Johnson township, which occurred
on Friday, July 25, 1873. The boy went to Otter creek to “go in
swimming,” as many boys are wont to do and, doubtless, as he had
repeatedly done before. As he jumped into the stream, in a playful
mood, where the water was over his head, his feet were caught and
so tightly clamped that he could not extricate them. It was a full
half hour before his condition was known and any relief came upon
the scene, when his uncle Huffman appeared, waded into the stream and
released the lifeless body, still standing erect, the top of the boy’s head
a foot under the surface of the water.

                    Reinstated Marriage Licenses.
    By an act of the state legislature, approved January 12, 1852, the
board of commissioners of Clay county were authorized to appoint a
special commissioner to reinstate records for perpetuation which had
been destroyed by fire at the time of the burning of the court-house.
To this end the board held a session on the 31st day of March following
and appointed John B. Nees, who called to his aid as private secretary
Elisha B. Peyton, then proceeded to take testimony on which to re-estab-
lish such records. Of the numerous marriage licenses reinstated a num-
ber are here enumerated as historically reminiscent of the more than
half a century ago. Only dates of the issuing of the licenses can be
given:

    October, 1826—Luke Dyer and Olive Micks.
    November, 1826—Hiram Puzley and Louisa Parish.
    January, 1828—Bird Light and Catharine Lake.
    May, 1828—James P. Thomas and Barbara’ Barnett.
    September, 1829—Wesley Peyton and Nancy Chance.