Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1884-07-21
SAD DROWNING CASE.
s,,r OF HIKING BOATS
L~a1IDREN-REsOLU.
=" rIONs OFCENSURE.

GDNb Vk Ob<A"
49,, 30 o'clock yesterday morn
pous uaS drowning case occarred In the
bdSwine, I the particulars OF wn,cn i,c,
foIIows; -Four boys nameh Will
virtue Clifford II. Virtue, sons
s,.sr Virtue David Mundell and
aIC III Grubb. whose ages range from .
'o lars hired q boat from jackson
yvl az Eleventh street bridge for the
Nose OF taking row.
ey passed down the brandywine =
w 'aistsnce. when they saw q sail
coming in which was George Hart,
.;ta three children and two Of his
Ssrs,in.law. When opposite the
y The boys called to Mr.. Hart to
tbsm hitch, and he wishing to-
y them turned his boat, 30 rs to
s,oncside, intending as he passed
ooh % for the rope at the bow Of their
and tow them as far as the mouth
Rs Brandywine.
r,me and as he neared them his
;ihed and the boys seeing this. and
|iuI of his not being able to reach
commenced to pull with one oar,
Wing their boat Immediately In
Of the skifi, which struck Vt about
nches back of the bow. The bOst
red TO one side, and Clifford IL.
me-. 8 years.of.age, who was seated
be how Of the boat, fell overheard.
h brother Willie, 13 years old, i'm
lately sprang into the water after
hut failed to rescue him, as he
came TO the surface once. In the
mime the skiff, carried by the wind,
ipned on, and Mr.. Hart headed TO
he shore, when John +. Smith, lone
brothers in law, ran to the stern
Jumped overheard to save the
Enipg boy. Finding that he could
swim against the wind and tide,
bmbered as he was with his clothes,
lot in the hoys' boat and row.d
to where w lille was about sink
for the last time, and dragged him
At that time Mr.. Smith was not
re that more than one boy was
kboard,
the meantime Mr.. Hart had all
he coutd do to keep his family y
}, in the skifi, as the children were
ing, and the women very much ex-
y, but he succeeded in running II
pre. The three boys were then
BIZ in charge and started for theis
bes, and Just as Mr.. Virtue AMI his
lily were sitting down to dinner, one
hem rushed in with the news that
bord was drowned.
Nicer Virtue hurried to the creek,
ere he found Charles Sparks, officer
brew Moore and Elijah Allen, ant
four men went out in q boat u
Fch for the body. After grapplinl
ut three hours, officer Virtue caugh
boy, and with the exclamation
" God I've caught my own Child,
D exhausted in the boat. Tbs other
the body in, and officer Moore
ering his dead face, carried the lit
inanmate body in his arms to TIN
be of his grief stricken parents d
lor and Poplar streets. News O
sad affair had rapidly spread, an,
few minutes the house was sur
pded by large crowd, who wer
from entering by Officer Moore.
Equity Coroner Palmer was notified
summoned tha following jurors
held au inquest at 8 o'clock las
hing:
acob Butz, Andrew Moore, Georg
liatton, Thomas Holiday, Josepl
Cooper and william X. Long.
nber OF witnesses were examined
testified to the facts as state
We, and one of them, who is q boa
lder, expressed the opinion that th
which the boys had would not hav
! safe for a man to have been in yei
Jay, unless he was u very skilfu
'nan.
he surviving boys testified that the
Ell the boat from Mr.. Cross for 3
lS' and that he did not give thei
warning or tell them to ba careful
Vn'y said that they should be SUI
have the boat back by 6 o'clocl
,lal they could come up with th
N9he OF the men wi nesses though
oul1 have been possible for u
10 have managed, or even col
irn 80 The boat, had they got out !
ChrIs'idEa.
lter hearing the testimony, an
Sely qutstioning tie witnesses
'H ali the facts, the .ju.y found Il
owing verdict
lAat Clifford II. Virtue came I
ueS'h by being accidentally drowl
n oa aat brandywine creek, on Sunda
-o.il, 1881, by falling overboar
~ d ooat hired from Jackson Cross.
II was represented to the ,jur
. acHson Cross is in the habit
my MS boats TO boys who are inc
pVi , managing them, the followii
'aAons were adopted
i"s'lVtd, That ths said Jackst
I " hlghly consurable for hirir
ooa's 10 boys, many of whom a
a.ns more than children, therei
Hs 'heir lives for the purpose
%aing lew cents"
he9oiTed, That a copy of the
%" T.,s .ohs he presented to City Soil,
t,uiher, and that he be reoueste
@ue oi safety of other children, to a
,u s,;, II There Is any law wherel
,nai nsu Jackson Cross or others can
ua,hea In the future from hirir
AS u children"