The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-08
THEY DROWN TOGETHER
YOUNG PEOPLE LOSE THEIR LIVES
AT A LOUISVILLE PICNIC.
Robert Norris, a Divinity Student, At
tempted to Save Miss Dora Far
ringtOn-BOth of FIackville.


Flackville, a suburb west of the river, were
drowned yesterday afternoon in the artif-
cial lake at louisville Park, within a few
feet of two boatloads of people and within
sight of eight hundred people on the shore.
No help was given the two young people
The man gave IN his life trying to save the
girl Robert Norris was a young freshman,
only two years in this country, and had
been attending De PAW University end
preaching at the Methodist Church at
Flackvile He and Miss harrington, with a
party Of other Flackville people, Joined with
the Sunday schools of the Methodist Chris
tan and Baptist churches of Haughville in
a picnic at louisville Park
In the afternoon Norris, e. r. Haislup
and Miss harrington, of Flackville, and Miss
Minnie Goodlet and Miss Maud Wood. of
Haughville, went for boatride on the lake.
The party was a. merry one and enjoyed the
ride thoroughly. Norris was once a sailor
and his experience made him an expert oars
man. In riding over the lake, the boat came
under a wire cable which stretched from
shore to shore. swing hangs on this cable
by a wheel and a crowd of the picnickers
were amusing themselves riding back and
forth on the swing. Miss Carrie Foodrey
and Miss Florence Lampert, Of Haughvtlle
got into the swing and started for the ride
across the lake. They saw the boat in their
way and screamed for Norris to row to one
side. The swing rushed over the wire too
quickly, however, and the feet of one of the
young women struck Miss harrington. she
was thrown to one side and could not re-
cover her balance She slipped out of the
boat into the water. She did not scream for
help; she was not heard to utter word.
4 IrARN nod
the oars. Without a moments hesitation he
jumped out of the boat and threw his arms
around Miss Harrington. They both went
under the water. When they came up he
looked appealingly about him. The boat in
which he and Miss harrington had been had
shot many feet away from the force of his
jumping off 1t. Another boat, containing
Rev. Joseph Stout, of Wesley Chapel,
Haughville, and Miss Estelle Miller, daugh-
ter of Hiram Miller, of Flackville. was
few feet away. Miss Harrington was choked
with water and struggled madly. Norris
could not swim with her grasp about him,
though he was known as strong swim
mer They sank again and came to the sur
face. Mr.. Stout thrust out an oar and Nor
ris grabbed at it, but missed. His strength
was about gone and he cried despairingly,
ooh fools, fools. why don't you help us?'
Miss Harrington, in her struggling, threw
Norris's coat over his head. This was the
end. The two sank clasped in each other
arms and were seen no more, until their
bodies were brought up by divers.
Mr.. HaiSlup cannot row boat well ana
cannot swim, he says. The reason ne Qld
nothing toward helping Norris and MISS
Harrington was because an oarlock broke,
and he could not cover the thirty feet that
separated his boat from the young man and
young woman Mr.. Stout is as unsKlllIul as
Mr.. Haislup, it is stated. He did not throw
All oar to Norris because he was afraid he
could not row back to shore with Miss Mil
Ter with one oar Both the men were as eX-
cited as the young women. Neither OF the
men did anything to help young Norris.
The two unskillful oarsmen slowly roWed
back to shore. 1t was not until then that
anyone went out to undertake the task or
recovering the bodies. Twelve or fifteen men
rowed out to the spot where the two young
people were drowned and dived for the bod
les. In six minutes Miss FarringtonS body
was brought up, ano in ten more the BODY
of young Norris was dragged into boat.
Miss Farrington'S father, w. L. Earring
ton, a dealer at the stock yards, was nou-
fed of the death of his daughter He took
buggy and drove to the. park from Flack-
Vile The body of the girl and that OF the
brave young preacher who tried to save her
We're taken to Hlackville in hearses. The
eight hundred picnickerS sadly went to their
train or wagons and to their homes. Miss
F'arrington's body was taken to her home:
Hiram Miller, in Flackville, where he had
stopped when he preached at the little
church. 0 Tc c.@
The tragedy was talked of in every neigh
borhood in Haughville and Flackville last
night. Miss Harrington was nineteen years
old a beautiful girl, and was admired and
loved by all who knew her. Mr.. Norris was
twenty-siX. He was not well known in
Haughville, but all the Flackville people
knew him. He had true Irish wit and a
sunny nature He was regarded as young
man with bright future and was known
to be fine student. He said he had no rela-
tives in the country. He had one brother,
who is a missionary in Africa, and another
brother and two sisters in Belfast, Ireland,
where he was born These relatives in Bel
fast will be communicated with by cable
There was story afioat last evening that
Mr. Norris and Miss Harrington were en-
gagged to be married, but this was denied
by their friends