Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1910-07-15
death BY DROWNING
IN NORTH CAROLINA
Chas. F. Spencer Loses Life
AT Bryson Summer
School

The sad news reached STANTON on
Sunday morning that Mr.. Charles F.
Spencer a young man, we'll and favo-
rably known in STAUNTON, had been
drowned on Saturday evening at a
| summer camp at Bryson in North
Carolina, where he, with others, had
number of boys who took this mode
of spending the summer, and studying
at the same time. Mr.. R. W.. D. Tay-
Io1, who is also we'll known in
STAUNTON, where he taught in the
Public School, was in the same camp.
The exact circumstances of the drown
ing, we have no yet been able to as
certain, but from the best information
we can gather, it was boating and
not a swimming accident. The body,
we understand, has been recovered
and will be brought to Lexington for
burial. where his parents MIR. and Mrs.
J. B Spencer live. Nh. Spencer was
teacher at the time Of his death at
the Woodbury. Forest School, near
Orange, Va, where he had been sew
eral years. He was graduate of
Washington and Lee University, where
his standing was extremely high and
he had so impressed his personality on
Maj. F. II. Smith, superintendent Of
the STAUNTON City schools here,
that through his influence he
wa: elected to petition i'll them
This position ne filled with eminent
satisfaction, for several years anc
rade many friends in STAUNTON.
where he has ever since been held, il
the highest esteem After leaving the
public schools, he taught at the
STANTON Military Academy and
at the Augusta Military Academy at
Fort Defiance, and was later rendered
a professOrship at Wo' dbury Forest
School where he has since been teach
ing, all of which positions he filten
with marked ability and Success He
was about thirty years of age ami was
born in Lexington, Va. No young
man stood in higher esteem in this
community, and the death of none
could have been more sincerely re-
GREETED.
LATER.
Mrs. J. P. Shreckhise on North
Washington street is in receipt OF
letter from her daughter, Mrs r. W.
D Taylor, giving the details OF the
tragedy near Bryson, N. c., in
which Mr.. Charles F. Spencer lost
his life last Satur day. It seems that
for days Mr.. Spencer and other mem
bers of the camping party had been
planning little neutrality-suspicious.
to go down the Tuckaseegee River,
on which they were located. Mr..
Spencer, who is a man of splendid
physique and an ardent lover OF out
door sports, looked forward to the
trip with great interest and was the
prime factor in it's inception The par
ty was made up of five boat, loads Mr.
Spencer and Mr.. Taylor in the first or
leading boat, two instructors in the
second boat and the other three boats
having six Of the older boys Of the
camp. They had gone about ten
miles down the river in the best OF
spirits when they began to encounter
rough water, the stream became very
,apil and st.ewn with bCulders
They passed safely through some rap
ids when they came to a part OF the
iver called "the narrows" which
was considered very dangerous and
against which Mr.. Spencer had been
warned. At this time Messrs. Spen-
Ger and Taylor were ahead of the rest
of the party, Mr.. Spencer stearing
and Mr.. Taylor rowing. Mr.. Tay-
lor asked Mr.. Spencer if he was 60
ing to attempt to 20 through the
n arrows to which he replied in the
affirmative. They continued forward,
the current becoming very much
swifte1 until in few minutes they
we're in the midst Of waves two and
three feet in height. The boat was
struck by one Of these, capsized i'm
mediately but they both came up
again, Mr.. Spencer smiling and see-
mingly considering the incident as a
joke. They were in dangerous po-
sition however and when the boat
was again knocked over by the rough
water, Mr.. Taylor was caught some
way in the rocks. Letting loose his
hold on the boat he was able to extri-
cate himself and was quickly swept
down stream. He saw MI. Spencer
about thirty yard further up stream
and nearer the shore. It is not known
whether Mr.. Spencer struck rock
and was injured or whether he be-
came stricken with c1amp but when
Mr.. Taylor got to shore and began
looking for Mr.. Spencer, he was no.
where to be round The remainder
Of the party had not attempted the
dangerous shute. Mr.. Taylor anx-
lously inquired if any Of them had
seen him but noneI of them had. He
then went back and continued his
search for about ansshour, most Of the
time in the water. Later searching
party of villagers and campers was
organized consisting Of about fifty
men but all efforts to locate the miss.
ing man were futile. Up until Sun
day at noon no trace of his body had
been found.
The drowning was great blow to
the campers AMI particularly to Mr..
Taylor as the two were the closest OF
friends and considered inseparable.
| PROTEST AGAINST BRYAN