Jasper County Democrat, Volume 19, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 August 1916 — How Miss Sarah Hemphill Lost Her Life. [ARTICLE]

How Miss Sarah Hemphill Lost Her Life.

Brief mention was made in the Wednesday issue of The Democrat last week regarding Mrs. E. P. Honan having received a telegram from Broken Arrow, Okla., stating that her niece, Miss Sarah Hemphill, daughter of James F. Hemphill, formerly of Rensselaer, had been drowned there the Sunday previous. No details were given, but later a copy of the Broken Arrow Ledger was received which gave the following account of the drowning;

“Last Sunday afternoon abput 3:45 a telephone message from the Plummer farm announced the death by drowning of Miss Sarah Hemphill. It seems that the Plummer family decided to spend the day at the farm which lies on the banks of the Arkansas river, south of the White church, and about seven miles southeast of town. They invited H. H. Houston and R. S. Jarrell of Bixby to spend the day with them. On the way they met Miss Hemphiy and she was invited to join them. After a picnic the girls were anxious to go bathing. About 80 rods east of the farm a creek empties into the Arkansas river and about 100 yards below this the strong current had formed an eddy and washed a deep hole some six or eight feet deep. After wading about in the shallow water for some time the bathers decided to swim with the current around the eddy. They had been in the water about an hour. Miss Hemphill went down almost as soon as she started in. Mr. Plummer sa'w her go down and immediately plunged in to rescue her. He made a desperate effort but the current carried him down stream, and he had to be rescued by another member of the party. Banker Houston managed to get hold of the girl after about a half hour. Everything possible was done to resuscitate the girl, but all efforts failed.

“Miss Hemphill was born at Danville, ill., June 11, 1897, and died August 13, 1916, aged 19 years, two months and two days. She came to Broken Arrow about 18 months ago. She was a beautiful girl, possessed of a most lovely character, and her ways won her a place in the hearts of all that knew her.”