Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-30
BEFORE
PIEDMONT
THRONG
SeweII's Corpse Brought to Sur
face After AII-Night Search.
Storm Overwhelmed Him.

Death by accidental drowning was
the verdict Of the Coroner's jury over
the body Of Joe Sewell, aged IS. Of
So Mansfield Street, which was
dragged from the bottom OF Piedmont
lake at 5 o'clock Monday morning. IL
hours after he went down without
one of the thousands of bathers or
watchers at the pool noting his plight
The lad entered the lake at about 3
o'clock Sunday afternoon. He was
missed when all the bathers left the
pond and his clothes were found in
the locker rooms.
Nick Seymour a keyboy, gave the
alarm. In a few minutes searchers
we're at work, and through the night
the red glare Of the torches in the
boats moving up and down the lake
told the anxious watchers on the
banks the body had not been found.
Not a Good Swimmer.
Young Sewell probably went to hts
death when the windstorm Sunday
afternoon dashed the waters Of the
little lake into high waves Not a
good swimmer, he was last seen at
one Of the diving RATS. which he
reached after a futile effort to vie
with the better swimmers and cross
the lake.
He probably chung to this raft when
the storm broke. and either the waves
tore him away or he tried to reach the
shore and was too weak to battle the
wind chopped lake.
The pavilion along the bank held
thousands of spectators. The pond
was literally dotted with the heads of
swimmers, fighting their way to shore.
The boy could not have been more
than ten feet away from some one Of
the many. Yet no one heard him cry
for help; none noticed the struggling
form give up its fight and sink.
Lake Quickly Deserted.
In less than three minutes after the
first strong gust Of wind that heralded
the storm the lake and the pavilion
ed into the bathing house for safety
noticed no sign of life on the wind
dashed lake, and it was not until the
wind had subsidized and the lake was
as calm and placid as a mirror that
the lads fate was suspected and the
search for the body begun.
w. r. Echols, of 70 Orme Street,
went in bathing with SeweIl. He said
he had last seen his friend at about
8 o'clock. He was swimming toward
the first diving tower That he
reached It and remained there until
the storm threatened Echols had no
doubt. He said his young friend was
not A good swimmer, and that he was
surprised to find him so far from the
shore as the diving tower.
Search Begun at Once.
When the lads body was MESSED
Lifesavers McDermott and Baker en-
tered their boats and commenced to
drag the lake. Before an hour had
passed more than eight searching
parties were in boats with graphing
hooks trailing along the bottom.
Several times the searchers stopped
to listen to some one who thought
they had seen the boy leave the lake.
One woman stopped the search for
more than an hour to have the police
follow a milk wagon in which she
had seen a bather climb. The lad
was found to be someone else who
had climbed into the wagon because It
went toward his home.
Darkness Hampers Searehers.
When night fell Chief E. L. Jett
took charge of the search. It was 90
dark the searching boats frequently
crashed together as the rowers drag
ged the hooks in an effort to keep in
a gradually widening circle. The fu-
tility of continuing the hunt in the
dark became apparent, and Jet dis
patched an officer to get torches from
the fire department The search then
was kept up until the body was found.
Sewell was the son Of the Rev. and
Mrs. ]. A. Sewell, of Newman. He
had been in Atlanta about six months.
He is survived by two brothers and
three sisters. They are billiard Sew
ell, of Philadelphia; John Sewen, Of
Newman, and Misses Annie Lou and
Isabelle Sewell, of Newman.
TWO KILLED IN L. & N. WRECK.
CORRIN KY lime 3O-A TOi1iS-
vile and Nashville flyer. bound for
Atlanta, was ditched and Engineer F.
A. lighthouse and Fireman S. P.
Douglas were killed when the engine