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State Gazette
Green Bay, WI
Saturday, 21 October, 1882

         ELI FILER, a prominent resident of Ahnapee, Wis.,
       formerly of Racine, was drowned Wednesday in Lake
       Poygan, above Oshkosh, near the little town of
       Tusten, while duck-hunting. FILER and a man named
       Brewster upset the boat by the recoil of guns. Both
       clung to the boat till within wading distance of
       the shore, when FILER, cold and numb, gave up and
       drowned. Brewster by this time was also cold and
       numb and did not dare attempt to try and dive for
       FILER, and it was with the utmost difficulty he
       reached shore himself, being compelled finally to
       crawl on his hands and knees when the water got
       shallow enough so benumbed had he become. Brewster
       stuck his gun up at the place where he landed and
       hastened to Tusten for help. The body had not been
       found when the steamer O. B. Reed left Tusten Thurs-
       day morning, as a heavy sea was running on the lake.
         MR. FILER was 68 years of age. He was very fond of
       hunting, and almost every year visited Tusten on a
       duck-hunting expedition. He occasionaly went out
       west as far as Iowa on hunting tours. He leaves a
       wife at Ahnapee, who was telegraphed to Thursday
       morning. He has no children. MR. FILER was a member
       of the Racine Commandery of Knights Templars and
       has been quite a prominent Mason in the state. He
       was a man of some wealth and was not engaged in
       any active business. But a short time ago he cele-
       brated his golden wedding at Ahnapee, which was
       quite an elaborate affair, guests being present
       from Chicago, Racine, Milwaukee and elsewhere. The
       deceased is spoken of as a man of genial qualities,
       a thorough gentleman and a fine man in every parti-
       cular.
         ALANSON FILER of Racine, brother of Mr. FILER
       who was drowned Wednesday in Lake Poygan, arrived
       in Oshkosh Friday morning, and S. C. PALMER, brother-
       in-law of deceased and J. L. McDONALD, of Ahnapee,
       arrived Thursday night, in response to telegrams
       sent them to get the body of MR. FILER when it
       should be brought down river. The gentleman from
       Ahnapee rode 35 miles to Green Bay Thursday after-
       noon by team in order to reach Oshkosh by the night
       train. The three gentlemen, were at the dock when
       the steamer O. B. Reed arrived at Oshkosh, Friday
       morning, but word came on the boat that the body
       had not yet been found. The place where FILER was
       drowned, although not over five feet deep, is
       thickly grown with wild rice and lilies consider-
       ably tangled up, and it has been difficult, under
       these circumstances and the high waves, to do much
       effective work towards grappling for the body.
         The relatives state that the full name of the
       deceased is ELIHU D. FILER, and that he was one
       of the oldest settlers of Racine. It is intended
       to ship the remains from Oshkosh straight to Ra-
       cine, where the funeral and burial is to take
       place, the widow and relatives going from Ahnapee
       to Racine as soon as notified that the body has
       been recovered. MR. PALMER, brother-in-law of
       the deceased, received a letter from FILER Thurs-
       day morning dated at Tusten saying that he had
       just arrived there, that ducks were plenty and
       that he had fine shooting in prospect. At one
       o'clock of the same day the telegram came that
       he was drowned.
       
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