A Three-Year-Old Lost to the Pend Oreille
Marvin Fewel slipped into the river while his father built a fence nearby; the community mourned a child gone in minutes.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. M. G. Fewel, who reside near Dalkena, was sadly bereaved last Thursday afternoon, when their only child was drowned in the Pend Oreille River. The little fellow was playing on the river bank near where his father and some assistants were at work building a fence, and was engaged in the pastime of throwing sticks into the water. Not hearing him for a moment, his father turned to look for him, and was horrified to see his body floating in the river close to the bank. He was speedily gotten out, but attempts to revive him failed, although he could have been in the water but a very few minutes.
The body was brought to the Boger undertaking parlors in this city Friday morning and prepared for shipment to Spokane. Interment was in Fairmont cemetery, Spokane, on Sept. 4.
Marvin H. Fewel was 3 years, 8 months and 4 days old. The heartfelt sympathy of the community goes out to the bereaved parents.
“Not hearing him for a moment his father turned to look for him, and was horrified to see his body floating in the river close to the bank.”
A century later, the Pend Oreille River still draws families to its banks, and the story is a reminder of how quickly an ordinary afternoon can turn tragic. Today’s Newport parents have life jackets and swift-water warnings, but the river remains the same powerful neighbor.
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