The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1917-07-13
MR.. LAGRANGE SISTRuNK KILL
Ed IN TRAGIC ACCIDENT
SATURDAY MORNING

OCa!a was uEder shadow of SOr-
row Saturday. the cause OF this uni
versal feeling OF sadness being the
tragi Gc-th Of Mr. LaGrange Sis
trunk, the only son of Mr. and Mrs.
S. T. Sistrunk. one of the best known
and most prominent families in this
entire section.
LaGrange Sistrunk is dead, We can
hardly realize that this can be truet
The sad news of his accident and sub
sequent death spread over the city in
a very few moments and caused very
real and very poignant sorrow in the
hearts OF all who knew him. and that
was almost everybody in town. for he
was a boy of unusually genial man
ners and the very happiest OF DISPOSE
tiOns, and everybody was his friend
The prominence of the family. the
personal popularity of LaGrange and
The manner OF his untimely death
causes this tragedy to be one of the
saddest and most terrible accidents
that has ever cast lis pail over Ocala.
That such as he should have been
so suddenly cut of from the life OF
usefulness that seemed just ahead Of
him is mystery unfathomable
LaGrange was just twenty years Of
age. A year and a half or more ago
he went to Newport News and Joined
the navy. but last fall returned home.
but as soon as war was declared offer
ed his services to his country, and a
few weeks ago was called 10 Pensa.
cola. He came home less than two
weeks ago on a furlough and was to
have left Saturday afternoon for Pen
sacola for service on one of the gov
ernments ships Friday night he was
around telling his friends goodbye
and was very jubilant over the fact
that he was so soon to be able to do
his bit" for his country
Saturday morning he got UP early to
get his things in readiness for an in.
definite absence. and among other
things decided to clean up his guns
He had finished cleaning one gun. and
started to clean his rife. when it in
some manner discharged and the bull
let entered LaGrange's body just be
low the heart Only the old colored
cook was in the house at the time of
the accident She called for help and
several neighbors rushed in and Mr..
Sistrunk who had gone up town to his
office, was sent for. Physicians came
as quickly as possible and the injured
boy was rushed to the hospital, and
a desperate effort was made to save
mis- life, but to no avail. as he died
shortly before ten o'clock
One of the sad features OF this trag-
ic occurrence was the absence from
the city of Mrs. Sistrunk, who left for
Galbraith Springs. Tenn. few weeks
ago with the body of her dear friend,
Miss Mary Wyatt Galbraith, who died
in this city while on a visit to the Sis
trunk family.
Besides his parents. LaGrange is
survived by one sister, Mrs. A. L.
Acker of Tampa. and large number
of close relatives in Ocala and in the
northwestern section of the county. to
whom his death comes as a great
grief
Words are Inadequate to express
the feeling of universal sympathy for
the Sistrunk family in the hour of
their greatest sorrow, ard in this sor
row this paper joins.
The funeral of LaGrange Sistrunk
which occurred Monday morning as
the bells tolled the hour of ten O'Clock
was magnificent testimony to the
worth in which his memory is en-
balmed in the hearts of the people
of this community.
Why was this so?
Why such a tread of feet? Why so
many bowed heads? Why such
wealth of flowers? Why such a flood
OF tears? Why were so many flags at
half mast? Why such profound hush
as the cavalcade moved along the
streets?
LaGrange Sistrunk was of tender
years He had held no public office
His voice had not been heard among
those who had been recognized as
the leaders of men in any of our pub
lie forums.
Then why were all these honors
shown to his memory? Because he
had done one signal thing that emit
tied his name TO be enrolled upon the
scroll of fame-he had answered the