The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-05-07
THREE LIVES END.
Wakarusa's Waters Close Over
Prominent Young Farmers.
Frank and Sherman Cox and
VIM. WhitlOW, Victims.
THEY WERE IN A BOAT
Could Not Swim, and When It
Capsized They Sank.
Scene of Anguish When the
Bodies We're Recovered.

Three young Shawnee county farmers
We're drowned together in Wakarusa
creek Saturday evening about 6 o'clock.
They were Frank and Sherman Cox,
brothers, and William Whitlow.
In company with Fred Klesarth. an
other young farmer, the three men had
been spending the day fishing at point
near where Lynn creek empties into the
Wakarusa, several miles south of To-
peka~ At 6 o'clock they were in a boat
in the middle of the stream adjusting
trout line. Klesarth was handling the
line from the bank
One of the Cox brothers was in the
end Of the boat. In working with the
and the boat dipped. This frightened
the other two occupants, and in their
fright they attempted to right the boat
Inc attempt only served to capsize it.
Not one of the three men could swim,
and when thrown into the water by
the capsizing of the boat they sank at
once klesarth says they were within
few feet of each other when they
went down. Whit1ow's head appeared
Tor a moment above the water, but
neither Of the Cox brothers came up. It
is not unlikely that they grasped each
other as they sank.
klesarth is unable to swim. When
his three companions fell into the
water he picked up a rope lying on the
bank and threw an end of it out into
the stream. However, Whitlow did not
seem to see it as he came up. and after
| struggling wildly for a moment he
again disappeared from view.
The young men were married and
! lived near together in the vicinity of
watson postofice, southeast of the
| city. AS the news of the drowning
| spread the whole country became
aroused and men, women and children
started for the scene BY the time the
bodies were recovered several hundred
| people We're on the bank of the stream.
The credit of recovering the bodies
| belongs to a young farmer living near
the scene of the drowning. He was the
first to be notified by Klesarth, and
went at once to the creek. He is an
expert swimmer and diver, and lost no
time in commencing the search. He
| found the bodies of the Cox brothers
almost Immediately. but it was an
| hour before he succeeded in locating
| that of Whitlow.
The wives of Frank and Sherman
Cox arrived after the bodies of their
husbands had been taken from the
water Mrs. Whitlow arrived before
| the body of her husband had been re-
covered. The three young women were
| frantic with grief. and the scene pre-
| scented on the bank of the stream was
| one which the several hundred people
| who witnessed it will never forget.
The bodies were taken to the re-
| spective homes in a wagon, and yester-
| day afternoon were buried in the Gem
etery at Watson. Similar caskets were
secured. and they were ranged side by
side in Salem church, the small house
of worship in that locality.
Sherman Cox was the eldest of the
three men. His age was about 80 years
and his brother was three years
younger Whitlow was % years of age
Frank Cox had been married only abou
one year, Each of the three men car
ried insurance in the Modern Woodmen
The young farmers had finished
| planting their corn last week. and ar
ranged the fishing trip as recreation
They left home early Saturday morn
ing, and intended returning as soon al
the work of adjusting the trout lint
was completed. It was their idea to re
turn this morning and take in the line
The respect in which they were hell
by the people living about Watson wa
shown by the great crowd that ATTENDED
; the funeral Sunday afternoon. It i
estimated that fully a thousand peopl
were there.
The parents of the Cox brothers die
7 not long ago, but they have relative
/ in this county. Whitlow and his wifi
lived with his parents. All owne
; farms and were well-to-do.
The drowning of the three men
: the first casualty of the kind to occu
, this year in the Wakarusa- For severa
- years one or more persons have bee
! | drowned in this stream during the fish
n | ing season