The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-07-26
N A MERRY CIRCLE
Of Eight the Caldwell Girls
Were Tripping When
THEY SANK TO DEATH
Grief 0vercomeS the Whole
Town of Caldwell.

who were drowned in the ChicaslIia Mon
day. The services will occur at 10 o'clock
Miss Edna Curtis viii be buried at
Belle Plaine this afternoon at o'clock.
Rev. W. W. Curtis, father Of Edna Cur
It's. was once pastor at Belle Plaine. and
IN one week there lost three of his chill
dren by diphtheria-
Miss Mile Detrick was buried at Cald-
well yesterday afternoon The whole city
turned out in sympathy and mourning.
No four young ladies ever had more
admfring friends at home than these girls
had at Caldwell. Everybody, old and
young, says the Wellington Mail, liked
them and had a good word for them dur
Ag HE as well as since their death. Ma
bel Neal and Mile DERRICK graduated
from the Caldwell high school last year.
The four dead girls and Edna Battin were
boon companions and inseparable chums.
Miss Battin and her parents naturally
feel very badly about the erroneous re-
port afloat that she was the first one
20 get into the deep water and that her
four friends lost their lives in trying to
rescue her while she survived. The fact
Is that Miss Battin was about the last
one to go under and then with the others
in trying to rescue companions.
Mr.. and Mrs. Neal are left with only
one child. a little girl about ten or twelve
years old Rev. and Mrs. Curtis are also
left with only one child. girl about the
age Of the surviving Neal girl. While
Rev. Curtis was pastor at Belle PLANE.
they lost three children within one week
with diphtheria. These children are
buried at Belle PLANE.
The particulars OF the terrible accident
are even worse than first reported.
A party OF eleven Caldwell people had
been camping on the Chicaskia, lust be-
low the wagon bridge on the Peters
ranch road since last Friday. Two of the
party were young men who went down
the river fishing Monday morning. About
11:30 o'clock the ladies OF the party de-
cided to 60 bathing as the sun was not
shining. The members OF the party were
Mrs. DR.. ]. F. Robertson, Mrs George
Hill. Mrs. Bob Clark, Misses Mabel Neal,
aged u; 1nez Neal, aged II: Millie DERRICK.
aged is; Edna Curtis. aged Is; Edna Bat
tin. aged t. and Tillie Trunk. aged g.
They took a boat and alternately waded
and fioated down stream. The water was
not more than three fas deep. They had
great sport playing what they called '1ifa
saving"
BY p. m. they had got down stream
about half way between a we'll known
spring on the bank and the railroad
bridge. Mrs. Robertson had pulled. the
boat up on the sand. She had not been
a. -
Der boots she wore. AS she sat in the
bank Mabel Neal suggested that she was
getting tired and IL was agreed that they
would soon return to camp. AS sort of
a finale to their fun. the eight of them
who were in the water which was not
more than two and half feet deep.
Joined hands and INDUCED in sort of
eakewalk dance. When this ended 1nez
Neal and Edna Curtis were the farthest
down stream with Mabel Neal and Mile
DERRICK next nearest them These two
couples commenced to dance a sort of
two-step.
Mrs Robertson says she was sitting on
the bank watching these four girls and
thinking how beautiful, how pure and
good each of them was. when suddenly
Inez Neal and Edna Curtis screamed and
went over backward into a deep hole.
About the same time all six OF the others
went down. having moved forward to save
the two girls. but as a matter of fact
all eight OF them were on the brink Of a
submerged precipice.
1t Is impossible to learn or know Just
all that happened then. Mrs. Robertson
grabbed an old tree limb. Miss Edna Bat
tin was the last one TO go under. She
could swim some and as she came 10 the
surface struck out for shore. Mrs Rob-
ertson reached her the limb and pulled hel
ashore. After going under a couple Of
times both Mrs. Hill and Mrs. CLARK
struck bottom so that by tiptoeing and
throwing their heads back they could
keep their mouths out OF the water a
part Of the time. While standing in this
position Mrs. Hin caught hold of one ot
the girls. probably Edna Curtis. but she
was entirely under water and Mrs Hill
was utterly unable to raise her. The littlC
Trunk girl went TO the bottom twice
The second time she caught Mrs. HiIr!
feet. She then climbed up Mrs. Hills per
son to her shoulder and. being a good
swimmer. struck out and swan for shore
In the meantime Mrs. Robertson had al.
tempted TO rescue her drowning compan.
Ions by rushing into the water but soor
found II too deep. she then went for thf
boat and although she knew nothinz
about rowing, finally succeeded in eettins
within reach OF Mrs. Clark and Mrs. HUI
In order to save herself. Mrs. Hill wal
compelled to release her hold OF the dead
girl under water. Somehow Mrs. Hi
and Mrs. Clark managed to get into IN,
boat without upsetdng it. Then Mrs. Hi
tainted.
AS soon as Edna Battin got ashore eb,
ran back to camp a half mile or NOR,
for HELM. Two men and a woman ha,
esmped near by just before the party lef
In the morning. She told these men VIVA
had happened and they hurried dow
stream. She followed. When the mel
arrived on the scene they said they coul,
not swim and refused 10 wade across tn
river. Finally Mrs. Robertson and tn
ladies with her managed to row the boa
across to the men and they came across.
Realizing that better help must be had
Edna Battin and the strange woman
hitched up Detrick's team and drove a
breakneck speed for the wellington cam
= at Drury. some two miles distant b,
wagon road Several Wellington youn
men lumpeu liNo the hdHou ana urON
back at furious speed Miss Battin say
she cannot see how they escaped all acci
dents on these two wild drives.
By the time the Wellington people ar
rived the drowned girls had been unde
water for an hour 20 an hour and nall
All hope of resuscitatiOn was gone. Fran
Hunter, George Hunter and Charles Gar
land recovered the bodies. Frank Hunte
brought up two and George Hunter an
Charles Garland one each. Then the De
Srs-t ,hor, x-as driven hv Frank Htlnts