The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1872-05-17
TERRIBLE CALAMITY AT COUNCIL
GROVE.
Four Of Her Most Highly Esteemed
Citizens Drowned.

McCollom, OF Council Grove, dated
Wednesday, that j. d. Ssmers and
wife, Miss Susie HuffaI1er, daughter
of Judge Hufaker, and p. d. Rob-
erts, were drowned in the Neosho
in that town on Tuesday evening of
this week.
From Mr.. e. S. Waterbury, who
returned Yesterday from that place,
we learn the following particulars of
the sad affair:
About nightfall of Tuesday an
unusually heavy rain set in which
extended over the country drained
by the Neosho, and SO thorou ghly
was the earth already saturated that
this storm had the effect to raise the
water IN the river fully ten feet in
an almost incredibly short time,
say not to exceed two hours.
During the evening festival was
held in the hall in the west part Of
the town, and shortly before nine
o'clock party consisting of j. u.
Somers and wife and Miss Susie
Huffaker, with Mr.. Phillip: Roberts,
owner of q livery stable, for driver,
started in . carriage to go from the
hall over to Mr.. Huffaker's resi-
dence, which is on the east side of
the river. AS the party were leaV-
ing, fears were expressed lest the
rain had filled q certain slough
which they must necessarily pass,
and they were urged TO stay with
their friends on the west side, but
no one thought or spoke of high
water in the river. Some discus
sion occurred as to whether they
should cross the river at the bridge
or at the ford aboYe town, in the
direction of Mr.. uuffaker's house,
aud thus avoid the slough.
The next that was known of the
party shrieks and cries were heard
by man living near the river. He
had retired for the night but imme-
diately sprang out of bed and ran
to the ford whence the cries came.
Upon reaching the river he saw
three OF the fated party struggling
in the swollen, rushing stream, and
recognized their voices. Nearest
the shore was Roberts, who called
to him for help. The man tore a
plank from o fence close by, hoping
that he might save Roberts. At
this instant Miss Huffaker rose TO
the surf face and called to him for
Gods sake to help her out; where
upon changing his purpose he wad-
cd into the stream toward her,
pushing the plank out as far as
possible for her to grasp. She
reached her arm out toward the
plank but missed it; again she rail-
lied and struck out for the plank /;
again she missed her grasp and
went down forever beneath the
cruel waters. In his last effort
to save Miss Huffaker the man lost
his foot-hold and fell, recovering
himself only in time to turn and
see the gurgling bubbles where
Roberts went down for the last time.
Somers, one of the three whom
the man at first saw. had disappear
ed in the meantime, and all was
over; the whole party had perish
ed. The horses got loose from the
carriage and soon after came back
to the stable. It is thought they at
tempted to turn around in the river
and go back, when they found they
could not cross, and in the effort the
carriage was turned over; in no
other way can the circumstance OF
the horses getting loose from the
buggy be accounted for, the whip
pletrees in this way being turned
into such o position that tho traces
would unlock.
Swift as a fire-alarm the news
spread over the town and the work
of search for the bodies Immediate
ly commenced and continued all
night, but without success. About
ten O'Clock. in the morning the body
of Roberts was found, within a few
feet of where he went down. The
body of Mr.. Somers was found
about an hour afterward some fifty
yards lower down. The watch in
his pocket had stopped at ten min
utes past nine, which doubles indi-
Gated the precise moment of the ac-
cident. Miss Huffaker's body was
found at p. m, having washed
perhaps quarter of q mile down
the stream. At four O'clock, the
hour Mr.. Waterbury left, the body
of Mrs. Somers had not been found.
Mr.. Roberts was an old settler at
the Grove, extensively known and
we'll spoken OF by everybody. Mr..
Somers was q young lawyer, very
highly esteemed, who had recently
been married to his deceased wife,
who was q half-sister of Miss Huff.
faker. The ladies are said to have
been ornaments of society and oil
most amiabIe and estimable charac-
ter. i ~ ''
The CONSERVATION which followed
the first announcement of the calam-
ity has been succeeded by settled
gloom which overspreads the town,
equalled only by the heartfelt SYM
pathy extended toward the friends
and relatives of the departed.