Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-07-24
LITTLE boy browns,
Body of Edward Mooney Thought
to Be Sleeping Meath
the Waters.
VICTIM OF MYSTERIOUS ACCIDENT

Playing on a Log Raft With Two Com
panIons When He Fails Into the River
No witnesses to the F&taIIiy-Kidnap-
ping Rumors Discredited by Parents-No
Trace of Body-Reward is offered.
While playing on log raft near the
Rock Island Lumber comFany's mill,
in Sylvan waters, late Saturday after
noon, Edward Francis, 6-year-old son OF
Mr. and Mrs. Edward Mooney, 2602
Fourth avenue, was drowned. The
circumstances of the sad affair
are mysterious. There were no
witnesses to the fatality, and it was
not until the child's mother began
making inquiries about him when he
did not return to supper that his fate
was learned. George England, Ed
dies playmate, told Mrs. Mooney
that the last he saw of Eddie was when
they were on the raft. He could not
say whether he had fallen in the river,
and became so confused when told
that his companion had persisted that
he could not give an intelligent re-
sumo of what happened during the
afternoon. John Lohse, aged IL,
was also on the raft when the
TRACED occurred. While he was as
ignorant as the England boy as to the
facts concerning the drowning, he was
able to describe the circumstanc
leading up to the accident. He said
he was seining for minnows while
Eddie. who arrived at the raft about
3 o. clock, and George were playing
together on the shore. After awhile
George concluded to go to the lower
end of the raft where young Lohse
was located, and watch him catch
minnow Eddie began to follow,
but was warned to remain on shore.
He said he would if George would.
The boys said they paid no further
attention to Eddie, supposing, when
they started home for supper, that he
had gone before them them.
All efforts so far to recover the body
have proved futile.
Conflicting Rumors.
Various rumors have been in circu-
lation, one to the effect that the child
had been kidnapped instead of having
been drowned. Mr.. Mooney, the
father. when seen today, said there
was no question in his mind or that
of his wife as to the fate of their little
SOh- hO
ever to the kidnapping theory.
Mr.. Mooney said that he had come
into possession of additional facts in
connection with the accident. One of
the boys who were with his son, he
said, told him that Eddie did not ven
ture ont on the raft of his own Volt
ton, but that he was carried on to it
by some of his companions, who then
rowed to shore in n skitf. These and
more sensational representations Mr..
Mooney is Investigating.
The parents are heartbroken. Mr..
Mooney, who is an engineer on the
Iowa division of the Rock Island, was
out on the road when he received a
telegram telling him of the drowning
of his boy. He fastened home on the
first train and has since been con-
stantly at the scene of the accident,
conducting search for the remains.
The raft was removed yesterday by
the steamer Rutledge in the hope that
when the logs were disturbed the body
would be released and come to the
surface. Divers went down from the
steamer. but We're unable to find any
trace of the bC-ay. MIR. Mooney has
offered n liberal reward for the recov-
cry of the remains.