The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1904-08-18
GEO. WILLIS BROWNS
Popular Young Man of Lamont Meets
Death in the Waters of Grand
River Last Sunday.

0rauu HlVer snOfIly after noon last
Sunday at a point twelve miles south
east of Lamont, near the farm of Stephen
Easton, resulting in the death of George
Willis, popular young married man Of
Lamont, and the narrow escape from
death Of Frank Hammer also of Lamont.
In company with Lyman Frink, Clar-
ence Young and Alex Heathman, Mr..
Willis and Mr.. Hammer had driven to
the river on Saturday. with the inten-
tion of remaining couple of days,
camping and fishing. Sunday they were
enjoying themselves in the water
shortly after dinner, having been Joined
by o. A. Parkhurst and Earnest Sey-
mour, two young men living in the
Easton community, who brought with
them to the river a large fish seine.
There was deep hole near where the
party camped and arrangements were
made to seine it in the hope of catching
some large fish. Parkhurst, the best
swimmer in the party, took the rope at
one end of the seine and started to
swim around and across one end of the
hole, being followed by Young. Willis
and Hammer were at the center ofthe
seine to see that it properly entered
the hole, while the other members of
the party remained on the bank to take
out the fish. Before entering the water
with the seine the men had made an ext
animation of the hole, the water in
which was about fifteen feet deep, and
the sides being very steep and dropping
off abruptly from shallow water. Willis
Parkhurst and Young had swan across
the hole, several times and examined the
place as to the best point to pull out
the seine, and there was no thought Of
any of them being in danger when they
started across with the seine. AS Park
hurst and Young made their way across
with the seine, Willis and Hammer ad-
vanced with the center, wading in shall
low water. Suddenly Hammer stepped off
into the deep water sooner than he ex-
pected and slipped down. He struggled
a moment in the water and seeming
powerless to regain footing in the
shallow water again, called to Willis for
help, and Willis reached out as If to ex-
tend his hand to Hammer when he too
slipped into the deep water, and from
some strange and unaccountable reason
he too appeared to be absolutely helpless
as soon as he got in the deep water. He
made no struggle and did not call for
help, but quietly sank under the water
and never rose again. AS he went
down Hammer caught him by the shirt,
but was too weak to retain his grasp
and as it slipped Willis disappeared and
was never seen alive again. The men
on the bank who had the other end of
the seine called to Willis and Hammer
to catch hold Of the seine and COM
menced pulling it through the water,
but neither Of them made any effort to
do so. Parkhurst then swan to where
Willis had gone down, expecting him to
come to the surface again, but he did
not appear, and as Hammer was con-
tinuing to rise and then sink under the
water he turned his attention to him;
and extended willow pole out to him
which Hammer grasped and was drawn
into the shallow water in an exhausted
condition.
AS soon as Hammer was rescued
Parkhurst again entered the water and
dived to the bottom number of times
where Willis went down but could not
find him. Poles were also used in a
! fruitless effort to locate him, but it was
not until two hours later that his body
was found by the means of graphing
hooks which had been secured from a
blacksmith shop in the vicinity, the
body being found by Steve Easton. Wig
orous efforts were made to try and re-
store him, but life was extinct.
News Of the terrible tragedy was
phoned at once to Lamont, and the news
broken as gently as possible to the
young wife and aged parents. Dan An
derson, brother-in-law of Willis, John
Gray and James Dillon drove at once to
the scene of the accident and the body
was prepared for the sad trip to Lamont
The strange part of the affair is the
manner in which both Willis and Ham
mer were effected as soon as they slip.
ped into the water, both in the same
manner with the exception that Willis
sank at once and did not come to the
surface while Hammer continued to rise
and then sink. Willis was good swim.
mer and had swan across the hole
several times but a short time before
the accident.
The funeral was held from the home
on Monday afternoon at o'clock, il
charge of John Smith, the seimon being
preached by Elder H. A. Stebbins. He
was member of Graceland Camp Mod
} ern Woodmen-of America, and had life
insurance policy for $1,000 in the order
the camp heading the procession tt
, .Rosehill cemetery where he was laid tx
; rest.
: George T. Willis was born in> Bento1
county, Iowa, Feb. II, 1874, being at tn,
time Of his death 80 years, ) months ane
27 days Of age. In early childhood hi
removed with his parents, Mr.. and Mrs
Joseph Willis, to Decatur county, ant
: fhad resided in Lamont and vicinity eve
? since, his vocation being that of /,
painter and paper hanger. He was mar
2 ried to Miss Carrie Scott, daughter o
: John Scott, Of the Lamont Chronicle, o.
: loot. IS, 1897. Three children were Dor
T to them, one dying in infancy, an