The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1907-11-01
Consolidated April IL, 1899
BULLHEAD LAKE CLAIMS TWO

BULLHEAD LAKE CLAIMS TWO
Earl Stapleton and Floyd Burx1l
Drowned last Sunday. Boat Car
sizes, Bismark Soule and Tug Hfll
Finally Get Back to Shore
Earl Stapleton and Floyd Bus,
rlll we're drowned in BullheaA
lake last Sunday morning.
A party of four from Corona
Bismark Soule, Tug Hills, Earl
Stapleton and a boy, Floyd Bur
rill. of Massachusetts, who was
visiting at the home ofhis uncles,
George and William Soule, LEFT
Corona late last Saturday night
and drove to school house near
Bullhead lake, where they re-
NAMED all night. Early in the
morning about five o'clock the
boys went to the lake about three
quarters of a mile distance and
started to row to an island where
they thought there would be
some good duck hunting.
When a part way to the island,
the wind rose and continued t.
blow. The boys had turned The
boat around and were rowing to
the shore. The waves were quite
high and washed into the boat
filling it up, and soon it capsized.
The occupants managed to all
gel onto the boat, which was
bottom side up, and had worked
some distance toward the shore.
when the waves turned the boat
over enought to tip them all OF.
At this time, Earl Stapleton m ass
have been exhausted, as he fail.
ed to get back upon the boat
again, and was probably seized
with cramps, and drowned. The
little fellow. Floyd Burrill. aged
twelve years, kept up a hard
fight and with the help of Soule
and Hills gained his position on
the up.turned boat. Several
times as they fioated and worked
their way to shore, the boys were
swept off the boat by the high
waves. 1t was about the third
or fourth time that they were
washed off, that the Burrill bog
was drowned. The boy probar
bly, had become exhausted, for
when the little benumbed body
slipped of its only refuge, II
failed to come up again. He had
maze a hard fight for life but the
elements were against him.
SOule and Hills were able to
keep working with the wind, and
finally after about two hours OF
struggling they reached the
shore about seven o'clock. They
were so exhausted that both be.
came unconscious and laid on the
ground until between eleven and
twelve o'clock, when the wind
having gone down and the warm
sun shining on them they re-
gained consciousness. They
were however too benu N bed to b
able to walk, and worked their
way to the school house, three
fourth of mile away, by crawl.
ing until their knees we're so sore
they were compelled to r0I.
Here a fire was started from the
Goals that were IN the ashes from
their mornings fire. Later they
we're able to hitch up their horse
and drive to farm housea short
distance away, where after stim.
ulants and food had been par.
taken the three returned to the
lake TO try and find the bodies.
About the time the SURVIVING
boys were in the school house,
George Clal k and L. P. Farley,
OF Corona. drove nearby, but the
occupants did not see them.
While Soule and Hills and the
farmer were hunting for the
bodies, Harty Keeney, WHO had
gone to the lake to hunt, ran
across them.
Earl Stapleton, was about
twenty four years of age, the old.
est son Of Mr.. and Mrs. w. W.
Stapleton, OF Corona, and for .
number of years had been EN-.
rloyed in Wood Bros. store il
that village. The past few
months he had been working for
the same firm at their store in
this city He was clean, up-
right young man, whom to know
was to be his friend.
Floyd Burrill was abouttwelye
years old, and only last Friday,
arrived at Corona from Masee.
chusettes, with an older sister,
visiting their uncles George
and William Soule. His father