The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-06-22
Five Young Keoklk People
Met Death in Watery Grave
Thursday Night Engine
Probably Gave Trouble
MISS WILSON THE FIRST
Form Of Lifeless Girl Picked up
by Launch Sunshine Near
Old Second Lock Site
Saturday Morning.

Saturday Morning.
All mystery surrounding the sud
den disappearance of the launch party
CT young people which left the city
on Thursday night for a ride on Lake
Copper, was cleared about IL o'clock
Saturday morning when the body of
the first drowned victim was found.
At that hour, the lifeless and bloated
form Of Miss Maymie Wilson was
found floating on the surface Of the
i water directly opposite the home of
Otto Anschutz on the river road and
less than quarter Of mile from
| shore.
/ 1t became apparent at once that all
OF the party had met the same fate
] as Miss Wilson. John Laughlin was
the second one of the luekless FIVE to
be picked up. His body was found
| floating only about twenty-five or
thirty feet from shore. near the home
of Mrs. Margaret Neill, which is not
far from the Anschutz home. The
body came to the surface about 1
o'clock as the searching parties had
covered every foot OF that territory
during the morning hours.
Late in the afternoon. the body OF
Mrs. Mary Oatman-Wright was found
by one of the launches. 1t is sup
posed that her body and Laughlin's
were brought to the surface by dyna-
mite. The water power company fur
nished an expert with the explosive
during the afternoon and at least
fifty pounds OF it were used in an
effort to bring the four bodies to the
| top. At six o'clock last night, the
| patrol parties in boats had hopes of
recovering the bodies of Alfred Gross.
owner of the sunken launch and Mrs
Pauline Marks.
Mrs. Marks Fifth in Party.
When a report of the drowning was
made on Friday, 1t was not known
that Mrs Pauline Marks, % years
old, was one OF the party that left
! the landing above the government
lock on Thursday night for a ride on
the lake. The discovery was made
Friday when Mrs. Marks failed to re-
turn to her rooming house at No. 500
/ High street She had been attending
one of the local business colleges and
waiting tables at the Y. w C. A. cafe
! terra out of school hours. She had
/ about completed her course.
Mrs. Marks was divorced from her
/ husband several months ago, but had
asked the latter to accompany her on
| the launch trip Thursday. Marks.
who is employed on the new Hotel
Iowa as an electrician, refused to go,
saying 1t looked too much like rain.
His divorced wife went anyway and
met her death In the waters, the
| same as the four others in the party.
Searching All Day.
From early Saturday morning until
dark last night, parties in boats made
a careful search Of the lake between
/ the dam and point opposite the
| White Elk vineyard It was in that
4 neighborhood that the cries for help
! were heard by those along the shore.
Nothing was seen of the sixteen
| foot launch in which the outing took
place and 1t is supposed the small
craft went to the bottom. weighted
1 down by its 240-pound engine after
/ fiiIing with water.
Various reports have been heard as
to how the boat happened to sink and
all OF It's occupants drowned. The
general belief is that the party in the
| launch tried to ride the waves behind
/ the w. w or the steamer Hill which
passed up and down the river on the
night the drowning occurred, and the
| boat got into trough.
| Others think that the engine ex-
ploded and the young men and won.
en- jumped into the water or were
thrown out of the boat. Parts of the
old second lock are sticking above
the water and 1t may have peen that
the launch ran onto one OF these OBJ.
structions in the dark and was upset.
The happening is one Of the most
unfortunate of any that has taken
place here In several years.
Father and Brother Arrive.
The father and brother Of John
Laughlin arrived here last night from
Wausau. wis, to take charge of the
latter's remains. 1t is probable that
the body will be taken to Wausau to.
day for burial.
The funerals of Mrs. Wright and
Miss Wilson viii be held this after
noon from the Wilson residence, 729