The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1903-07-30

was the scene of terrible accident last
Sunday afternoon, the drowning of
Frank Forbes and Fred Eals, two of the
most popular young men in Leon, while
bathing in the deep pool just below the
old dam.
In company with Ed Kirwin, Roy
Chambers and Harry Tabler, the boys
drove to the river Saturday evening
with Frank Forbes team to enjoy all
over Sunday outing on the river. After
dinner on Sunday Frank and Fred in
company with Ed Kirwin and a number
of others had donned their bathing suits
and gone in swimming. The boys were
both good swimmers and the party had
been in the water for probably half AN
hour. They had an old boat which had
a hole in the bottom and tloated upside
down, using it for a raft from which to
dive from. Frank Forbes left the boat
and was swimming around, while Fred
Eals was swimming in the water a short
distance from him Ell Kirwin was still
on the boat and Louie Hurst had just
gone to the rocks to watch fish line.
Kirwin says that just as he turned
around he saw Forbes going down in
the water and Fred Eals had Just
reached him and took hold of him, and
both of the boys went under the water
and did not appear again. He did not
hear either of them say anything or
make any noise. Others who were on
the bank said they heard Forbes say he
was drowning and asked Eals to help
him, and that when Fred reached him
Frank grabbed hold of him and both of
them sank from sight. From the posi-
ton of the bodies when they were
recovered this seems likely, and the
probabilities are that Forbes was seized
with cramps and when Eals reached
him he caught hold of him with death
grip and both boys went to their watery
grave, the one helpless with cramps and
the other who tried to save his friend
caught in his death embrace from which
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The alarm was given at once, and
number of men who were scattered
along the river FASTENED to the dam,
but were powerless to render any aid
as no one could point out just where
they went down, and the water at this
point is from twelve to fifteen feet deem.
hae of nd 10
the water and commenced diving for the
bodies and garden rakes were also
secured and fastened on poles, but the
bodies could not be located. About
twenty-five or thirty minutes after the
accident Robbie Dye lad about twelve
years old who had been ONE of the most
and said he had found them but could
not raise them to the surface. John
Woodard's boat had been secured and
several others went down at the point
indicated but could not find the bodies,
until Clyde Reeves who resides near the
dam located them the second time. In
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from windmill about twenty-four feet
long had been secured and ropes were
attached to the ends, the steps being
let down in the water behind where the
bodies were located and men on the
shore pulled them in, the bodies being
brought in at the first drag.
Whan tho nnciIop+ bo, ,,,a,.1
was at.once phoned to Decatur City and
Leon and Drs. Eiker and Mitchell drove
to the river from Decatur, and were
there when the bodies were recovered.
The boys had been in the water about
an hour and half, and the physicians
after hasty examination announced
that nothing could be done. The boys
were still locked in embrace when the
bodies We're recovered, Forbes having
his arms around Eals' legs, and their
arms were also locked together.
The news of the sad accident was
phoned to Leon within a few minutes
after the accident occurred and n1any
persons drove to the scene at once in
the hope that they could be of some
service, every team in the city being
out. The news spread quickly over the
city and cast a deep gloom on the entire
community, for there were no more
popular boys in the city, and every
effort was put forth to console the
stricken families.
The bodies were brought to Leon as
soon as recovered, arriving here about
half past five o'clock, and taken to the
homes of their parents.
A joint funeral was held Monday
afternoon at 8 o'clock, at the M. e.
church, Rev.I. n. Woodward, pastor Of
the Methodist church preaching the
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