Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1897-06-28
NUMBER. IA.
DROWNED,
Swept into the swift current of Eeg'e
y <
River and expires.
Levi Copeland meets death while performing
go u -
the duties assigned TO him at the dam.

The duty of chroIGcling such u sad and
mntimely death is placed uDon 4pr,
shoulders. AS we think OF the mary
friendly favors we have received in the
past from Mr. Cope llnd, we realize
til. t u true friend has passed
to the great beyond N,ual dealt,
where the families and friends can wit
ness, at the bedside, aud listen to the
last words of the dying person. is, hard,
hut when taken from al without one
montAnts warning, without a chance to-
bidsfarewpll IL wife, Children or kindred
is still more of Il misfortune indeed.
Thus Levi Copeland was taken from
our midst last Thursday He was EN-
pIoyed to look after the dam about Gnee
and one hall miles from this vilIages and
as there was a heavy headwtF Of water
he attempted to raise some of the piaDks.
OF the gateway. Being unable to do SO.
and as the water was continually rails
ing and threatened to curry away the.
dam, he took All axe and going beneath
the waste gath standing on one of the.
aprons he strnck oneof the
planks with an axe, one blow, which
with the heavy pressure OF water back,
was sufficient to snap the plank into, let.a
ling the immense volume OF water onto,
Mr.. Copeland, which carried him from
his feet and into the swift current Of the
river below
He Nas carried down the stream and
thesupposition is that ere he could re-
cover himself he must have became
strangled by water.
NJ. j. Conlin and Johnnie Englestead
were present at the time OF Mr.. Copeland
being swept away into the river. The
accident occurred SO suddenly that hui
man exertion could not reach to rescue
him from the water. A short distances
below the dam men were working at
driving logs and knew nothing Of the,
mishap, until Mr.. Copeland had been
taken through the pitiless current to
his death. AS soon as Mr.. Copeland dis
appeared from vaiew, JOHNNIE Englstead
started for the village and spread the
alarm, and as soon as possible crowd
was at the scene of the accident dra~-A
ging the river for the body Many peOl le,
worked diligently all through the night
but could not find the body. Early Friday
morning many more persons were at
work dragging the river, and after In
hours work the body was found by
Thos Neal, SIR. and w. Diamond. The.
five gates of the dam were open and
made an Increase of from two to three
feet in the depth Of the water in the river !:
which accounted fe}t the difficulty in find-,.
ing the body. TWAS found next to a.
rock where the current must havecsirried (
it after life had become extinct, and was 4
lying face downward in the bottom of
the river.
There wos but one eye witness and
that was Johnnie Englestead, who saw
Mr.. Copeland when he undertook to re-
move the plank. He stated that he
thought piece OF the plank struck Mr..
Copeland in the legs and thus knocked !,
him from his feet, and the water rushing
through carried him down. His state .
ment of how the accident occurred was
clear and comprehensive and lett no
doubt III the minds OF the jury, who were !,
empanelled by Coroner s., Walters, as to !,
the manner III which Mr. Copeland met
his death.
Mr.. Copeland had made Eagle River
his home for the past eight or nine years +,
and during his residence here made
many friends for himself and family. lie
leaves a wife, two daughters and son,
besides other relatives to mourn his uIl-
timely demise. albof whom were present
with the exception of the son.
The funeral was held at the COngre-
gational church yesterday afternoon,
Rev Fl. e. Todd officiating A large con-
course of his friends paid their last trib
ute o his memory and followed the re-
mains to their final resting place at the
cemetery in this city.
When bilious or coStive, eat a, Cas-