Tragedy Strikes During a Local Picnic
A young family's outing on the Wishkah River ends in the sudden, mysterious death of their infant child.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Mr. and Mrs. N. G. Kaufman, of this city, have the sympathy of their many friends in the death of their five-month-old son, which occurred on Wednesday, July 18. The little one was apparently well in the morning, and the parents started with the A.O.U.W. picnickers up the Wishkah, but when about three miles from town, the child took suddenly ill. Mr. Kaufman started to return with him, but the child continued to grow worse and expired when near the North Aberdeen bridge. The cause of the child's sudden death remains a mystery to its parents, as he was apparently in the best of health up to this last illness. The funeral took place this afternoon at 1 o'clock.
“The cause of the child's sudden death is a mystery to its parents, as he was apparently in the best of health up to this last illness.”
This tragic report from 1894 underscores the precarious nature of childhood health before modern medical infrastructure. The mention of the North Aberdeen bridge serves as a somber landmark of the family's journey home.
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