Gilbert Lester Hughes

One Boy Dead, Two Brothers Ill Of Bulbar Polio

One 4-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Hughes of Flattop is dead of bulbar polio and two older brothers are critically ill in the Niobrara Memeorial Hospital with the same disease.

The younger boy, Gilbert Lester, was brought to the hospital Friday evening after being ill about 12 hours. He died Monday afternoon at 3:30. Funeral services were being held at 2:00 this Wednesday at the Peet Chapel.

Terry, 9, was brought to the hospital Saturday morning, and Harvey Dean, 8, became ill Tuesday evening while in town and was taken immediately to the hospital. There is one daughter, Laurel, 12.

How the disease was contracted is not known. The family lives 40 miles north of Guernsey, where other cases have existed recently, and the family had not been in that community in recent weeks. The children go to a small country school.

Funeral services for Gilbert were being held at 2:00 this Wednesday. The casket was sealed according to all health requirements. Rev. F. C. Doctor, pastor of St. Paul's Ev. Lutheran Church, officiated. Mrs. H. J. Templeton and Mrs. A.F. DeCastro sang, accompanied by Mrs. J.P. Watson, organist. Casket bearers were Gene Bass, John Hughes, Ted Harvey and Loren Smith.

The iron lung, given by the Elks Lodge and placed in the Niobrara Hospital, has been put to use in these cases. These make nine cases of polio to be treated at Memorial Hospital this year.

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