The following is an article that was printed 20 June 1890 in the Kearney Daily Hub. Kearney, Buffalo, Nebraska. PROBABLE SUICIDE The community was startled this morning by the report that a young girl had drowned herself in the lake.
Miss Nelly Peckham disappears and leaves a note.
Her request to "Look for me in Lake Kearney" is carried out with no result.
No reason known for her rash deed.
On investigation the young lady in question was found to be Miss Nellie [Eleanor June Peckham] Peckham. She is employed by W. A. Downing and this morning she attended to preparing and serving breakfast as usual. Immediately afterwards, about 7 o'clock a note written with a burnt match was found on the kitchen table. It read "look for me in Lake Kearney". On the back porch was the girls apron thrown off in hasty flight. Mr. Downing jumped into his carriage, which was standing ready to go to town, and began to search.
The fog prevented him from seeing more than half a block and not a trace of the girl was found. Workmen on the new Midway saw a hatless woman pass them and laughed at her attire. The woman seemed to laugh back at them and was gone. Perhaps that was Nellie Peckham's last laugh in this life. Further search availed nothing, and the conviction that the girl was in the lake grew strong.
Ira Johnson filled his picnic carriage with about 20 willing volunteers and drove up to the lake. Superintendent Mallalieu had been telephoned and had the drag hooks and ropes, lately used to recover the Bates boy, brought down from the industrial school.
Meantime several sturdy divers were searching the bottom of the lake near the dam. On arrival of the party, a foot tract was discovered which seemed to have been made by a woman's shoe. There were two distinct heel marks and one of them was on the extreme edge of the dam. As soon as possible the hooks were gotten ready and 4 boats began carrying them out from the shore, when the men on shore threw them in. In this way the length of the dam was traversed but with no result.
The same fate met dragging on the west shore. This afternoon a party went up but as the management of the pavilion refused the use of suits for the divers, further search was given up. Miss Peckham kept company with a young man of whom her parents disapproved, Last night she told Mrs. Downing that she was going home and instead went out with this young man. Her mother discovered the fact and it may be that the fear of meeting her displeasure drove the unhappy girl to make way with her life. Her mother [Emily Rosella {Lyons} Peckham] is almost crazed with grief and anxiety.
Later......The girl has been found at Swisher's station. She said she went to the lake and then backed out, and that she then went to the Cemetery because she was afraid to face her parents.
20 June 1890 Kearney Daily Hub.
21 June 1890 CARD OF THANKS...
I wish to thank the citizens of Kearney for the interest they manifested in behalf of my self and family yesterday. Their kindness and labor will never be forgotten by me.
Signed George Franklin Peckham. [Father of Nellie]
Submitted by Wilma Fleming Haynes, gencon@harborside.com, great granddaughter of George F. Peckham
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