The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1906-05-24
A LEON BOY DROWNED

Harry P0WelI Caught by Undert0W
while Swimming at Davis City
Dam on last Thursday.
| Harry Powell, the eighteen year old
son of Leander Powell, of this city, was
drowned just below the dam at Davis
City about o'clock Thursday evening,
his body being recovered within ten
minutes after the accident, and although
two physicians were present and used
every effort to resusitate him as soon as
his body was taken from the water. life
was extinct.
The boy in company with several
others, had gone to Davis City to spend
a day fishing. The river had risen
about two feet during the day and was
quite muddy, the water pouring over
the dam in strong current. Harry
was on the north side of the river and
took off his outer clothing and went in
swimming. He said he was going to
swim out to the dam, and some of the
Davis City boys who were on that side
of the river warned him that it was
dangerous to do so, as the river was
high. The boy was good swimmer and
soon reached the dam and went in be-
hind the falling water. The current
was so strong that he could not get out
and he was caught by the undertow.
He commenced struggling and twice
got ten or fifteen feet away from the
dam, but each time the current dashed
him back in. He called for help and
just before he disappeared the last time
George Kimball, of Davis City, ran out
on the dam with a pole and tried to
reach him, but the boy was gone out of
sight, SO MIR. Kimball dived right off
the dam after him. The current caught
him also and he had hard struggle to
get out. While he was in the water the
body of the Powell boy rose to the sur
face of the water twenty-five or thirty
| feet down the stream and then disap-
peared for the last time. There were a
number of persons on the bank of the
| river and the alarm was at once given.
1t had been noticed that the current
was carrying the body down stream the
last time it was seen, so a number of
men waded into the river, holding
hands, and commenced systematic
search for the body. They had gone but
few feet when the body was found by
Ovid Shoemaker, and willing hands
| carried it to the bank near the mill.
Drs. Wales and Reed had already
reached the scene, and used every
effort to resusitate the boy, but he was
beyond help. The good people of Davis
City did everything in their power in
caring for the body, securing mattress
and new suit of clothes, and the body
was brought to Leon the same evening
by E. Hoash.
The deceased was born in Lane coun-
ty, Kansas, August ,, 1888. When but a
few months old his parents removed to
this city, and here all his life has been
spent, attending the Leon public schools
being in the eighth grade, and had made
arrangements to study during the sum-
mer with Miss Halle Moore, so as to be
ready to enter the high school next fall.
From childhood he was natural born
naturalist, spending all of his leisure
time in the woods studying animal life
and was determined to make it his life
study. He had read every book on
natural history in the Leon public
library, some of them as high as three
or four times, and met with great sue
cess in making pets of all kinds of wild
animals. He had taken course of in
structions by mail in taxidermy and had
room fitted up at his home where his
specimens were kept, and it was an in
teresting place, filled with specimens of
animals, butterflies and birds of all
kinds. Only last winter he secured the
woods and fields and secured hundreds
of cocoons and this spring had been
studying the butterflies as they Matched
out in his rooms. He was familiar with
the habits of all the wild and tame ami
mails in this country and during the
winter season set his traps and caught
specimens of nearly every variety
known here. He was of quiet and re-
5iring disposition, but was quite a
favorite among his schoolmates and all
who knew him.
The funeral was held from the nj. E.
church Friday afternoon, conducted by
Rev. Holly, pastor of the M. E. church
at Weldon, his body being laid in it's
final resting place in the Leon cemetery
The aged father and little brother have
the deepest sympathy of the entire
community in their bereavement,