A young lady named Emma Alexander, living with her brothers on the bottom near the river, was drowned last Friday. She had been away from the house, and on returning had to cross a slough or muddy depression, and had taken off her shoes and stockings to wade through, after which it seems from the tracks made that she approached the river bank and sat down on the edge of it to wash the mud off her feet, the water coming up near the top of the bank. While sitting there, the bank gave away and she was dropped off into the water. Her cries for help were heard and parties were on the spot in a few moments, but no trace of her could be discovered. A basket that she carried was seen however, but the body has not been recovered and probably will not be. She was a sister, we are told, to Mrs. Q.C. King of this city.

#2 Published in The Pilot, July 5, 1894

The body of Emma Alexander, the young lady who was accidentally drowned in the Missouri river two weeks ago, was recovered Monday last. It was first discovered by the advance guard of Hogan’s army, just above the Blair bridge, about 9 o’clock, and they reported to the wood sawyers at Hamilton’s mill. Word was sent up town and parties with a sheriff started out to find it. It was next found floating on top the water about two miles below the bridge, and was caught and taken directly to the cemetery where it was buried about 4:30 in the afternoon. It was in a terrible state of decomposition, and no services were held, only those at the grave. It is very sad, indeed, but there is consolation to her friends in the fact that she lies buried in the Blair cemetery where they can watch her grave. A strange coincidence connected with her sad death is the fact that she was just 23 years of age the day she was drowned.

~~~ Obituaries courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~

FindaGrave # 225187717