Stumbles Into Yard Of

His Neighbor Saturday

Afternoon.

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COUNTY OFFICIALS OF IOWA AID IN SEARCH

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Blood Hounds Brought From Sibley Follow

Trail Many Hours.

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County officials were called Wednesday to aid in the search for Henry Wrede, 72 years old, a wealthy farmer of Lafayette township. Nicollet County who mysteriously disappeared from his home Wednesday morning. Mr. Wrede had $700 on his person and it was feared that he had met with foul play. Late Saturday afternoon he stumbled into the yard of his neighbor Ed Olson who lives just three and one half miles from the Wrede farm, and sank to the ground in exhaustion.

Lost His Glasses

Mr. Wrede had attended to the chores about the farm which his sons are operating and was climbing over a fence when the glasses he was wearing fell to the ground. After losing his glasses he was unable to see where they had fallen, as he is very near sighted. He felt about in the grass near the fence and when he did not find them he started to walk in a direction which he thought would lead him to the house. He became confused and wandered into a cornfield.

When he did not come in to dinner members of his family wondered at his absence but did not pay any particular attention to the fact as they felt that he would come shortly. As night drew on and still he had not appeared his sons became worried and started a search for him. Not having even the faintest idea as to where he might be, the neighbors were all questioned but none of them could give any information as to the whereabouts of the old gentleman.

Wanders In Fields

After several hours of desperate hunting the family called officials from St. Peter to aid in the search. Sheriff A.E. Norman of Nicollet County called the office of Sheriff Wm. Julius of this county in an endeavor to locate some blood hounds. Deputy Sheriff Wm. Geiseke knew that G. F. Lowry of Sibley, Iowa, who is the sheriff of Osceola County, had several blood hounds which he used in his work and immediately called him. Sheriff Lowry said he would bring four of the hounds to this city immediately. He arrived here Friday and the party searched all day and all night. Two of the hounds were young dogs and the other two were old. For that reason the owner relied more upon the leading of the older dogs than he did the young ones. Several times the young hounds followed the scent to a country road which divided two corn fields and took up the scent into the field on the opposite side of the road. The men felt it was impossible for the young dogs to trace the scent across the road and called them back. Had they followed into the opposite field it is probable that the dogs would have led them to where the missing man was fighting to find his way out of the corn field. About four o’clock the party gave up the search. It was around six o’clock Saturday evening that Mr. Wrede walked into the yard at the Olson farm farm and sank to the ground exhausted from bis long tramp without food or water. He bad lived on corn torn from the stalks in his wandering about in the fields. He then told how he had lost his glasses and had wandered away from the farm, never going beyond three and one half miles from his own farm in the four days he had been lost. The aged man is suffering from the shock of his experience and his exposure but will be quite himself after a few days rest.

New Ulm Review,

August 26, 1925

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