The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1867-08-30
A Terrible CalamIty-Four '1ersons
(. ft3.G~i ,eben Drowned. gtsoas odi ta
From the Beloit Free Press.f.! liii

AiBaE
sOn Saturday last most heartrending ca.
latnity occurred in the. fcwn' of Shifiand,
Lib, about nine mikes from tAis city, by
which four persons, two women, one man,
and little child came to sudden and ur-
natural deaths by drowning. d. We gather
! the follDwinga particulars Of the sad affair
Mr.. John Beadle, with his wife, aud a Mrs.
Fletcher and her. little daughter, who were
visiting at Mr.. Beadle's, wentat toithe Peca.
tonic rlver,7pear by, to- indulgeIin q bath.
The place selected was supposed to be per-
tectly safe on account Of the known shal-
loWneSs OF the water at that point After
the bathers had left the water,,gthe little
ner not satisfactorily explained got back
into theawater, where she was in great dan
ger of being drowned ,.s,s,,;y9 al ',.,t.
The mother, Mrs. fletcher; .espying the
critical condition OF. her daughter exclaim.
ed, "Oh, save my child!''' and Mr. IBeadle,
plunging into the water to-, her ,rascue, sud
denly. sunk out of sight. The two, = women
then clasped each others hand foir, mutual
help and protection, and waded into the
river in the frantic effort to save their
friends, when they, too, suddenly found
themselves in water beyond their depth,
and, instead of the assistance they hoped
| to render, they only added their. dying
struggles to the awful. agoniies of the mo,
| ment..s Mrs. tBeadle sank almost imimed;-
ately. Mrs. Fletcher fora moment made
desperate and unavailing efforts to escape
the terrible fate of her companions, but
soon becoming exhausted aud strangled,
sank among her friends. Buta moment OF
| two had elapsed after the little girl was dis
covered to be in peril ere all, husband and
wife, mother and daughter, were resting,
lifeless, in the watery depths of the treach-
erous river; but in those few moments who
can describe. the terrible emotions that
assailed them, as they saw one, after the
| other franticly and fruiIess]y. struggling 10
escape a horrible death, and who, actuated
!! by all that is sublime in human heroism,
| hazarded and lost their own lives that their
/ friends might perchancc be sayed2 While
the scene Of death was being enacted, the
boys and the young lady stood on the bank,
compelled to witness all, but powerless to
, assist their parents and friends in their dire
emergency. The older boy says that could
he have obtained a pole ten or twelve feet
long, he thinke. he might possibly have
saved Mrs. Fletcher, but there was nothing
at hand. ' :'',
Persons living near the scene of the dis
| aster were summoned to the spot as soon as
possible, and succeeded that evening il,
finding two of the bodies, the other two be-
ing recovered the next morning, Sunday
During the Sabbath funeral services were
held, and the unfortunate persons consign-
ed to their final rest. The occurrance has
cast a shadow over the whole community.
Mrs. Fletcher was resident Of New Or
leans, where her husba nd, DR. Fletcher, is
a practising dentist, who was North visit.
ing among her friends. + Dr., Fletcher was
formerly resident Of Freeport, partner,
we believe, in the dental firm of Kingsley
& Fletcher, and where many friends will
grieve to learn of the sad death of his wife.