Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 169, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 August 1917 — Star City Youth Drowns In Tippecanoe River Sunday. [ARTICLE]

Star City Youth Drowns In Tippecanoe River Sunday.

Winamac Republican. nn The Tippecanoe claimed another life Sunday afternoon at 4o clock, when Virgil Edwards, of Star City, Jas drowned in sight of hundreds of people who were attending the ball frame at the local park. . Edwards was bathing near the Loot bridge, Gerald Lidgard and Dewey Hettinger, also of Star city, being at the wire nearby. . The Edwards lad later gathered up his clothes and joined the boys a? the wire by the gravel boat below the artesian well, at a dangerous hole 111 getting into the water and playing along the wire the Edwards boy lost his hold, and being unable to swim he became pamcstricken. 'According to the Lidgard lad he made two attempts to rescue the drowning boy, but not being much of a swimmer was compelled to put to shore. , , Cyril Fites was coming toward the river near the school house when he heard the cries of Lidgard and Het Unger. He flung aside his clothes as he ran and plunged in and reached the lad as he came up for the last time He grabbed him and drew him towards shore for several feet but the Edwards boy was a dead weight in his hands and young t ites lost his hold. ** r ’* , Just as Fites was compelled to seek safety the crowd from the ball park arrived, and a dozen or more; men jumped into the river diving for the body. It was finally located by Jim Doyle, who was unable to bring it to the surface, and Perry Jenkins, who was near, dived down and brought the boy to the surface A boat had reached the . scene and the body was put into it and brought to the bank on the park side where Dr Collins had already arrived. The boj had been under the water less than ten minutes and hope ran high that life could be saved. Dozens of willing hands began the work of resuscitation under the direction of Dr. Collins. Everything possible was done to bring life back to him, but after a full hour and a hall of continuous work, hope was aband°n is the opinion of the physician that death was partly or possibly entirely due to acute indigestion and that the boy \vas dead before he sank to the bottom. The testimony of young Fites would bear out this theory. He stated that there was not the movement of a muscle when he attempted to pull him to shore. The boy’s family had been notified that there was hope of his recovery and they arrived just as the ambulance drove up to take the body to the undertaking parlors. The gnetstricken parents accompanied the body by auto to Star City a few minutes later. ~ , Virgil Edwards was the oldest son of Mr. and Mrs. R. N. Edwards, living a mile or more southeast of Star City and was about 17 years old. He was well known among many of the young people of Winamac. The funeral services were held Tuesday at the Methodist church at Star City, Rev. F. C. Sager officiating.!—