Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1904-10-27
How Armistead Lee Lost his Life.


at Roswell, New Mexico, we hav'
gotten the details of the drowning o
Armistead NJ. Lee, formerly Of Shep
herdstown, mention of which has here
tofore been made in these columns.
The heavy rains and cloudburst
had caused the rivers and smaller
streams of that section to become rag
ing torrents, and the Pecos river wal
very high and rapid. Mr.. Lee wa
not only an athlete, but he was an ex
pert swimmer, and had done daring
and effective work at the dam at Nc
Millen and had helped repair it where
others feared to venture. Mr.. Lee
had been greatly commended by the
people for the aid he had rendered
during the food by swimming around
the lake. The praise he received slim
ulated him to further adventure and
this len 10 his tragic death The Rec
cord tells the rest of the story a:
follows:
The usual group of bystanders. citi.
zeps and idlers were gathered around
the Dean grocery store, and it resulted
| in a wager being made. Lee declared
| that he would bet any man five dollars
that he could ride skiff to Carlsbad
in six hours over the muddy and treach-
erous waters of the Pecos river This
wager resulted in the bet being taken
nm by a man named Justin, and the
money was placed in the hands OF Dean,
! the procervman. Lee was undaunted
and got the skiff. Chambless, the other
man who was drowned, had recently
located at Mcmillan and was employed
in the store of his cousin, Mr.. Dean.
| Chambless was also of a daring nature
and had made several dangerous trips
with Lee. A new phase of the case yet
unpublished is that there was a third
man in the boat who could not swim,
and he was the only survivor OF the
daring trip. His name is Harry Plum
mer, and he recently came to Mcmillan
from Biggsville, Illinois, for the benefit
| of his health and was stopping with ms
uncle, w. +. Thomson. Plummer de
| clared his intention Of makiLg the trip
with Chambless and Lee. His uncle
heard of it and forbade his going. Mr..
Thomas is a man of mature judgment
and he did not approve of the daring
amusement that Lee and Chambless
| had been engaged in. However, he did
not think that they would take the
trip to Carlsbad and that the bet would
be called off. This was not the case,
and Chambless and Lee were preparing
10 take their last adventurous ride.
| The boat was taken south of Mcmillan
and the three young men got in. The
| skifT dashed through the wild waters OF
! the Pecos a distance of about three aud
one-half miles below Mcmillan and
struck whirlpool near the bank OF the
river. Chambless fell out first and at
tempted to get TO the bank. Lee and
Plummer were holding to the boat, but
Lee. with true Robert Il. Lee courage
| and thought of fellow man, cried ont "a
Plummer, "You hold on the boat and
YOU will be all right Lee knew that
| Plummer could not swim stroke
| Plummer was dashed ashore and his
! COMPANIONS who were professional
swimmers met death in the PecoS. II
is supposed that they were dragged
| down in the suck-hole and whirlpool
which first turned the boat over. Al
ter the bows had started Mr.. Cook be
came suspicious that the nephew nigh
90 on the foolhardy trip and securing
a horse rode down the river. After he
had ridden about 81 miles he saw youn(
Plummer standing on the bank OF the
| Pecos holding the boat by the rope anC
AS wet as drowned rat. AS soon "a
he came near Plummer said, "Get me-
a stake, | want to stake this boat" "A
first Mr.. Cook thought the other two
bows we're near and did not dream tina
they had been drowned. Plummel
was at first IN a daZed condition anC
nearly unconscious, but standing on hi!
feet. Mr.. Cook said, where are Lee anc
| Chambles ?" This question appeared
to arouse Plummer and he said that M
did not know, as he supposed they swan
out He then told the story OF the boa
upsetting and Lee yelling to him TO hole
ON TO the boat and he would be all right
Plummer was taken to Mcmillan to SEE
a doctor. He was badly bruised but il
now ali right.
Every effort has been made to find thu
bodies of Lee and Cham bless. but so fa
without success. But the search ha
not yet been given up. The banks OF
the river have caved in at many places
and it is the opinion of some that thu
bodies are buried beneath the sand anc
will never be recovered. Lee is sur
yived by step-mother in Virginia and
one brother in Pennsylvania. Young
| Chambless has wife and two children
at Cleburne, Texas. Both OF the vic
tins carried life insurance.
Armisted Mason Lee was s'n o.
the late Edward Jennings Lee anC
Rebecca Rust Lee, of ShepherdStown
and he was a undetermined, manly
young gentleman. He was educated
at the Episcopal High School at Alex
andria and at Woodberry Forest. 81
was a perfect specimen Of health an(
strength, being over six feet tall anC
weighing l6O pounds. He was gener
GUS and lovable and his friends great
ly deplore his untimely death. He
survived by two brothers, Lawrence
Rust Lee, of East Orange, N. j., ant
Rev. Edward Jennings Lee, a mis-
sionary of the Episcopal Church a
Ngankin, China.