The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-08-01
Miss Katherine Rovilla Mon
tague browns Yesterday
in Deep Water in Lake
Cooper.
BOYS ATTEMPT RESCUE
Spencer Aud and Arthur
Lumberg Try to Reach
Body, But It Had
Disappeared.

Miss Katherine Rovilla Montague.
10 wears old. daughter of Mr.. and
Mrs. Newell ]. Montague, 923 High
street, was drowned yesterday after
noon while bathing near the old Suth-
erland property about half mile
north of the foot Of Absolute hill. The
body was recovered after it had been
in the water about three quarters. or
an hour, and although four physicians
with Lungmotor worked over the
body for more than two hours they
were unable to bring back any spark
of life. This is the first toll taken by
Lake Cooper this season, and is par
ticularly sad occurrence. The untlme.
Iy death of this young woman, and
the tragedy Of her passing, has cast
shadow over the lives of her many
friends and acquaintance.
No one, probably, will ever know
just how the young woman met her
tragic death. She was just learning
to swim, was able to take a few
strokes, and had been warned against
going into the deeper water where
the current was running especially
swift yesterday afternoon, due to the
high stage of the water. 1t is believed
that she got into deep hole, Just on
the old shore line or that her BODY
was snagged by some obstruction IN
the submerged creek bed which is now
under several feet of water. When
the body was recovered by Harry
Dietz, tree was hooked the first time
with the line he was using. A second
time, he brought up the body. This
leads to the belief that the body
might have been snagged on tree,
as it was sucked under in the sharp
current
Young Man Attempts Rescue.
Miss Montague was one Of party
of young women in the habit of bath
ing at this beach which is on the old
Ferris place. She and Miss Viola
Bates had gone in ahead of the rest
OF the crowd, which was chaperoned
by Mrs. George S. Merriam. Spencer
Aud, 1918 Des Moines street, and Ar
thur Lumberg 1928 Exchange street,
were helping to teach the young wom-
en- to swim They had already mark
ed out the boundaries to which it was
safe for beginners to venture. When
Miss Montague was seen to struggle
in deep water, and disappear, both of
these young men went to her aid. and
although already exhausted by their
stay in the water, did all they could
to recover th., body. Mr.. Aud battled
with the current near where the body
was last SEEN and was exhausted
when he finally reached shore, drop
ping on the sand just out of the water,
unab BILE to go another step. Mr.. Lum-
berg ran to boat which was tied at
the float few yards down, stream and
rowed to where Miss Montague's bath
ing cap was floating in the water. He
reached out to grab this, thinking that
Miss Montague was in the water. He
brought up the empty bathing cap.
The alarm was spread in short
time, and doctors were telephoned for.
DR.. w. Frank Brown was the first to
be called. DR.. Frank M. Fuller and
DR., c. r. Armentrout were called in
the meantime, and DR.. Brown sent In
a call for the Lungmotor, which was
at the office of Drs. Dorsey and Dor
sey, and which was brought out by
DR.. F. B. Dorsey, Sr. In the mean
time swimmers from the Moose beach
came I'D the railroad track or put out
in boats and there were several score
of people on the shore, and several in
boats and canoes, when the work or
recovering the body was commenced.
Marshal Kennedy and officer Will
son also hurried to tho scene.
Harry Dietz in a rowboat, accom-