Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 June 1891 — How Jack Leatherman Died. [ARTICLE]

How Jack Leatherman Died.

We give below an extract from the Fort Pierre, S. Dak. Fairpiay, of May 22, giving’the particulars of A.J. Lei therm an ’s tragic and untimely death, written by a mefiiber of the boating party which ended so disastrously. For the benefit of such of our readers as may not be informed as to the nature of pontoon bridges, we may state briefly, that they are floating bridges, by pontoons, or flatbottomed boats or scows, which float on the surface of the water, and carry the roadway, and are held in place by strong cables at the shore ends, and also. by shorter cables in the stream, like the one which upset the boat, as described below. We quote trom the Fairpiay:

Judge F. W. Pettigrew, county Auditor Murphy, Attorneys A. J. Leather man and Jos. Donahue; Dr. C. J. Lavery, Merchant Frank Fisher and the Faiqfay editor, started just after noon on Monday for a pleasure ride up the Missouri. After sailing up the river a few miles the trip was abandoned and the boat (which, by the way, was a round bottomed yawl and supposed to be trusty) headed homeward, Messrs. Fischer aud Lavery getting out at the Jim Leightoii landing. Everything augured well until they arrived opposite the city, when it was seen that the ferry-boat had arrived at its landing, which necessitated them dropping down to the mouth of Bad river and running up the same, which they decided to do. At this tune the wind had subsided, so they let out the sails, but with no apparent good. It was then found that no oarlocks were m the boat, and all the time they were gradually nearing the bridge at a point where the current is the swiftest in the river and boils through between the boats like a torreut. Being without oarlocks they made slow progress shoreward. The pontoon bridge which spans the river below the mouth of Bad river is held in place to a certain extent by a cable connecting the bridge, some eight or Ujn boais out, with a sunken anchor up the river toward the shore. The boat seems to have drifted upon the wire and was carried down toward the bridge at such an incline that the boat filled with water and was overturned upstream. J. Jeffries who was sitting n the front end of the boat, made a jump for the bridge and landed with but one foot wet. The rest of the party were all thrown in the water. A. J. Leathennan was more unfortunate than the rest, and was carried under the water and never rose to the surface again. The rest of the party had an exceedingly narrow escape, but were more fortunate to catch upon One of the pontoon boats. Joseph Donahue was only saved by the assistance of Mr. Murphey who kept him above the water until he could grasp the bridge. It was an exceedingly narrow escape for the whole party, when the condition in which the boat was upturned and the terrible current are taken into consideration. Mr. Leathennan was seen by three df the party after he had passed through under the boats, which settles forever all rumors to the contrary. Mr. Leathennan was seen to throw' up his arms as though his head had been injured by contact with the poatoon bridge, but the latter phase is merely supposition. To the above some particulars; which were not obtainable in time for our issue of last week, may now be added: Mr. J. N. Leatheman, upon his arrival at Pierre, found his deceased brother’s friends making every possible effort to recover the body, including the offered of a reward of 1100. This offered reward Mr. Leathering assumed, upon his arrival. The river below the bridge was patroled constantly by experienced men, and on Saturday afternoon, 5 days after the accident.

the body was found, a mile and a half below the bridge. Arrangements had been made to fire heavy charges of dynamite over the nver with the supposition that the concussion produced thereby would cause the body to rise from the bottom and fioat upon the surface of the river, a result said to often follow the production of heavy sounds over water containing drowned people: and it is fact worth mentioning that just before the body was found in this instance, several heSvy peals of thunder occurred, and to their effect many attributed the rising of the body to the surface.