Bridgeton pioneer., 1907-06-20
HORRIBLE TRAGEDY
TUESDAY EVENING,


ing places in boat in the middle of
lake
Mary Vennell, of 20 East Lemon
street, is the victim of the drowning
and it took place at about half past
nine last evening in the TumbiIng
Dam pond. The circumstances sur
rounding the case are SO peculiar that
at first they are almost unbelievable.
That the girl could be drowned and
nothing heard of it for at least an
hour after the accident, and ith
Thousand people in the Park, and
many others in their boats on the
lake, seems impossible.
OF persons who were out there in
boats, not one could be found who
had heard cries, only two persons who
were on the shore thought they heard
cries. The young man who took the
girl out was so terrified that he ran
all of the way home and fell exhausted
in his own doorway.
1t was almost ten O'Clock when
Chester Hurf, Chester Paris and
two young men named LoveIand and
Allen discovered onesof the steel boats
from the Park boat livery out in the
middle of the lake, and filled with
water. 1t looked as If a drowning
had occurred and they towed the boat
ho oir 10
William Rasinger. He Immediately
went out to she place and found
straw hat and couple of boat oush.
ions floating about the same spot and
to mark it, ,he sank boat hook in the
bottom. On shore nobody seemed to
know about the drowning and after
exhausting all of the places where he
would be likely to find out about an
accident, he thought it best to teIe.
phone to City Hall and notify them,
and did so.
In this manner the report crept out
and few persons heard of it last
evening, but of the hundreds who
were at the Park all of them went
home without the knowledge of such a
terrible affair.
At the Park at midnight everything
was in confusion; two men with a
boat hook were feeling around the
bottom and making but poor headway
in the dark. The woman with whom
Mary Vennell lived..and her brother.
Elwood Vennell were at the Park and
The woman was screaming aloud in
her anguish. Men darted back and
forth out of the darkness in front of
the rays of light from the few lamps
and disappeared again in the darkness.
for all of the electric lights at the
Park were shut Off
The only man who was doing any,
thing at all in systematic manner
was William Rasinger. He had
equipped boat with hook and had
been trying to find she body himself.
About the first persons to arrive from
down town was William Miller in
his big car and with him were a re-
porter from this paper and several
friends. They at once offered their
assistance and Mr.. Miller took the
powerful search lights from his auto
mobile and with these In a boat War
rem Brandrif and a reporter made
tour of the lake. Every possible point
was subjected to thorough search,
the powerful lamps looking like two
big eyes to the people on shore were
made to search every inch of the shore
line around the lake. The search re.
vealed nothing. By this time several
other parties had arrived and several
young men had stripped for swim.
ming in case they struck anything on
the bottom like body. After a fruit
less search lasting for an hour they
telephoned to the City Hall and asked
to have an officer go down and bring
the young man who was supposed to
have been in the boat up to the scene
of the drowning. His name was
found to be George Evans, young
glassworker who lived on South Pearl
street and was about 81 years old.
Officer Barton went down to the
house and the young man was in bed
asleep and had told nobody of the
drowning except his parents. The
officer made him get up, dress and
come with him. and he did so, walk
ing SO fast that the officer could hard
ly keep with him. On his way to the
Park Evans would say nothing but
told this story to reporter after he
arrived:
Evans Story,
ut was exactly quarter after nine
when took Miss Venneu out In the
boat and when we were about half
way across showing about the spot,
"she wanted to change places and row
the boat. So I got up and stepped to
the atarn and ac soon oar d;.I A,A