Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-06-29
LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.
DROWNED.
TRAGIC ENDOF "DOC "sHENCK.

TRAGIC END OF " DOC "sHENCK.
A Lancaster Printer Thrown Over II Pl,iia-
Lelphia Wharf.
The Philadelphia Times of to-day thus
records the drowning of VIM. G. Shenck,
a well known printer Of this city, and son
of Henry S. Shenck, late register of wills
for Lancaster county and later census
enumerator Of the Second ward, this city !:
Ridsway Park, which has recently been
the theatre of numerous rOws-in one
of which a prisoner in the hands of police
men received a t-wOund-last night
capped the climax with tragedy when
has the appearance of a case of invOlun-
tary manslaughter. Among the thron%
who went over to take the delightful
breeze and listen to the strains of SentZ' S
orchestra last night were three newspaper
compositors, w. G. Shenck, known
among his comrades as doc Shenck, !"
a Lancaster man; Edward Toomer, a
resident of Camden, and James Prlitt, of
this city. Ordinarily, Toomer and Shenck
have been. comrades in any little excur-
sions of this character, but yesterday
Toomer and Pruitt were together. They
soon encountered Shenck and added Il
number of "beers" to the liberal supply
they had already imbibed. This they sup
plemented with more beer. and when the
trio started down toward the boat landing
all were in hilarious. skylarking humOr
and ripe for mischief. The testimony Of eye
witness to the succeeding events is con-
tlicting, even those standing closely by be-
ing unable to agree in their accounts of
+l,n D,oftor II apnoara however that INST
rs Shenck, who was a smaller man than
Toomer, was stepping aboard the boat,
Toomer took him by the shoulders and re-
marked: 'Overboard you co." and over
board both did go. In the confusion
among the party on the boat and wharf
several minutes elapsed before boat was
procured and lowered. The men were
seen to struggle in the water and the bob
bin" motion of both their heads was
quickly succeeded by the cessation of
the tlouudering noise of the struggles
and their shouts by a cry from one
man: MY God, I'm gone ~ and then
by the solitary strokes of one of the men
as he swan away towards the wharf
A rope was thrown to him, and, when he
was taken from the water, it was seen that
it was TOOmer. His cOmrade and adver
sary in the aquatic combat had gone to
tie bottom of the river, never to rise again
alive The lights of R:dgeway park danced
gaily upon the waters, but those who peer
ed into the depths of the stream anxiOusly
for the temperance of Shenck wee dis
appointed. The drowned man hat was
found on the wharf. Toomer, although a
powerfully built young man, was scarcely
able to stand from the effects Of his struS-
ole first with Shenck and then to Savo his
own life by swimming.
The captain of the park special police
Immediately placed TOomer under arrest
and also took Pruitt into custody. Both
men and number of witnesses were taken
over to the Central station and locked up
to await disposition by Deputy Coroner
Ream as soon as Shenck's body is recov-
cred. Last evening TOOmer, from his cell
in response to questions as to how the affair
happened, said at first that it happened on
the boat and afterwards that it was on
the wharf. "Why, we were the best of
friends, he said, speaking of the drowned
man. 1t was just piece of skylarking,
that was all. We had all been together
and we we're pretty full. l took hold of
Doc by the shoulders and l said, 'Over-
board you 60 How it happened | don't
know, butt the next thing we were both in
the water. | tried to save him, but he
turned over and got his hands upon my
head and was pushing me under. Then
he got his arms around my neck, and felt
that unless could get loose from the
drowning man I'd he drowned, too. SO l
punched him in the stomach and face as
hard as could and made him let go and he
went down. don't remember how got
out yelled and had to swim for it.
Ropes were thrown to me and l caught
one from tugbOat and was tOwed by ita
had swallowed an awful lot of water and,
was nearly gone myself. did all could
to save Doc, but | couldn't" Toomer
afterwards said Shenck fell overheard by
himself, after the push, and that he
CToomer) tried to save him. TOOmer's
comrade, Pruitt, bears testimony to the
desperate and heroic efforts by the former
to save Shenck's life, and that the death
was accidental. Edward TOOmer is 81
years old and resides at 3Ol Stevens street,
Camden. Shenck was 30, came from
Lancaster two years ago, and dwelt on
Franklin street, above Wood, in this city.
He was a "sub' for several papers.
"Billy' Shenck, as he was popularity
called among his many acquaintances i'll
Lancaster, was 4 well-known typo, usually
working in Lancaster as a "sub." He
was about SO years old, and learned his
trade in the Union office when John ].
Cochran owned it. He had worked at
case in all the job and newspaper offices
in this city, and at times in many other
parts of the country, late in Wilmington
and Philadelphia The account of his
death in the Philadelphia morning papers
was the first tidings of it which reached
his family here, and some of the members
of it have gone to Philadelphia to identify
and bring home his remains, and to fully
investigate the circumstances of his tragic
death.
Election of Officers.
At the semi-annual election for officers