The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-08-21
Birdie Mitchell browns in the
Mississippi, Despite Heroic
Efforts Of John Tigue
to Save Her.
ONE OF LARGE PARTY
Eight Had Gone Across River
Yesterday Afternoon
Body Recovered This
Morning.

Morning.
Birdie Lee Mitchell, thirteen year
old daughter Of Mr. and Mrs. Charles
Mitchell, 800 F street, drowned yes
terday afternoon in the Mississippi
near the island, directly across from
the foot Of D street. Heroic efforts
to rescue her on the part Of John
Tigue, her brother-in-law, proved
vain and nearly cost Tigue his own
life. Tigue succeeded in saving
Blanche Clifford, who with Birdie,
Clyde and Bert Mitchell, had stepped
off a quartrain reef, about 300 feet
from the Illinois shore, into water
about ten feet deep. The girls body
was found about II o'clock this morn
ing, on the Illinois side of the river,
net far from where the accident oc-
Cured.
Brides mother, Mrs. Mary Mitch
ell, who is confined to her bed as a
result OF a sprained knee, sustained
in runaway a week ago, saw the
accident from the window of her
bedroom. The Mitchell home is sit
uated at the very edge of the bluff.
Mrs. Mitchell wached the party, OF
which Birdie was a member, go
across the river in row boat She
cav the children wading, the bobbing
heads in the water. when three STEP
ped off into deep water, and saw the
head of one, whom she instinctively
thought was her daughter, sink into
the water never to rise again. She
became hysterical, and vainly at
tempted to leave the house, but her
injuries prevented her leaving the
sick room.
Eight Cross In Boat.
Yesterday afternoon the Mitchell
children wanted to cross the river
and 60 wading In the shallow wat
er near the island. The parents
consented, so Mr.. and Mrs. John
Ngue took the children, with several
friends across the river. IN the party
beside the Tigues and Birdie Mitchell,
were her brothers, Clyde and Bert,
Blanche Clifford, Ruby Smith and
Luella Smith.
Mr.. Tigue and Clyde Mitchell went
IN swimming near the end of the
lower dyke, which has been built out
from the island to deepen the chan
mel. The others went in wading.
The Mitchell children and Blanche
Clifford were leading. AS they wad-
ed out from the shore, the water
grew shallower and shallower, until
they were out about hundred yards.
They called to Mrs. lTigue and the
others to come out with them, but
they were afraid to come.
Children Into Deep Water.
Suddenly the two Mitchell children
stepped off the ledge of rock which
marks the ending of the shallow
water, into the main channel of the
river, in places said to be fifty feet
deep. and at this point from ten
to fifteen feet deep. John Tigue,
swimming near by. swan to the res
cue Of Birdie, and Clyde who was in
with him, made for Bert.
Tigue succeeded in reaching his
little sister-in-law, and brought her
back to the shallow water. Just as
he was about to push her to safety,
the Clifford girl who had been stand
ing in the shallow water all this
time, became frightened, leaped into
the deep water, and clutched Tigue
about the neck.
cripple's Heroic Work.
Tigue is cripple, and Is not strong
ly built. He was nearly exhausted as
a result of his heroic and, up to that
time, successful efforts to rescue
Birdie Mitchell. When the Clifford
girl grasped him about the neck,
she choked him, and bore him down
and the current carried all three
farther out into the deep water.
The Mitchell girls head was fore
ed under water, and in spite OF
Tigue's efforts to regain his hold on
her, she was swept away from him
and down stream. She came to the
surface three times, and then sank
again to rise no more.
Tigue meanwhile was fully oc-
cllpied in saving the Clifford girl.
When he found it impossible to
reach Birdie again, he strove heroic
ally to take the other girl to shallow
water. But he was too far gone, and
both were sinking under the water
for the third and what would prob
ably have been the last time, when
they were rescued by Fred Slater,
who was tending his lines
a quarter Of a mile away.
Clyde Mitchell Saves Bert.
All this time Clyde Mitchell was
struggling in the water with his
brother Bert Clyde is sixteen and
Bert is eleven. The older was
swimming with Tigue. while Bert
was playing with his sister and
Clifford in the shallow water
When the two children stepped
into the deep water, Clyde swan for
Bert and tried to pull him over to
the shallow water. The current was
too strong. and the two boys were
being swept away into the middle
of the river, when they were reached
by Slater. The boys were picked up
first by the fisherman, who then
made for Tigue and the girls.
When Mrs. Tigue and the Smith
iris who had remained nearer the