Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Knapp, Irwin 1902
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Sandy Heintzelman sheintz@iserv.net January 2, 2018, 7:25 am

Belding Banner, 5 Jun 1902, page 1

Down To His Death.

Irwin Knapp Drowns in Haney Lake While Companions Stand By Unable to Help Him.

Without one single word Irwin Knapp went down in the waters of the little lake
near the southern limits of the city known as Haney lake last Sunday afternoon
about two o’clock, and was seen no more alive.  The day was warm, very warm and
sultry in comparison with the weather we had been experiencing, and three young
men, Irwin Knapp, John Shindorf and Lawrence Gephart went to the lake and
decided to take a bath in its cool waters.  Knapp was the first to get undressed
and plunged in.  He came to the surface shortly after, making no outcry or
remark nor made any movement to indicate all was not right, but in a few moments
went under again.  For a minute or so they could see him under the water and
supposed he was swimming under water, but as an unusually long time began to
elapse and no signs of his reappearing, his companions became alarmed and called
to Will Ing and Archie Woodruff who were fishing upon the other side of the
lake, to come to their assistance which they did, without avail.

What happened to him is of course only a surmise.  He might have been taken with
cramps, and some think the shock of the cold water might have caused a sort of a
paralysis of the heart’s action, rendering him faint and during which he
drowned.  The water in this lake is cold even during the hottest periods of the
year, as it is spring fed, and as there has been very little warm weather of
course it is unusually cold yet.  The alarm was spread and additional assistance
secured and search for the body continued although hopes of saving his life were
abandoned.  It was finally recovered about 8 o’clock the same evening.

Knapp was 20 years of age and his companions on this fatal trip somewhat
younger.  His parents live about three miles north of Lake Odessa and he has
been here since last Christmas, being employed at Belding-Hall factory “R”.  He
had one brother living here, John Knapp of south Broas st.  The remains were
taken to the home of the parents Monday for burial, the funeral taking place
Tuesday.

Justice of the Peace Geo. W. Moulton impaneled a coroner’s jury of the following
gentlemen: M.F. Tuck, Geo. Knapp, Ed. Knapp, Al Wells, Henry Shindorf and Fred
McCue.  Their verdict was accidental drowning in accord with the facts as herein
stated.


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