Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1918-06-28
GAVE HIS LIFE
FOR HIS FRIEND
Tim Emerson Drowned In Snake
River While Attempting to Res
cue n Friend From Death

Pullman last Sunday when a tele-
phone message was received from
silcott announcing that Tim Emer-
son and Cyrus Milan, Lewiston boy,
had been drowned in Snake river
while attempting to help in the res
cue of a Moscow girl, Miss Shelona
Wittei.
A number of people witnessed the
accident but all were so excited that
they gave widely varying accounts of
the details According to one story,
Miss Witter and a number of girls
we're in bathing. They had boat
by which Miss Witter was towed out
into deep water and started to swim
back. She had progressed but few
feet when she called for help and
Emery Pearce, one of the bathers,
went to her assistance. She grasped
him in such a way that he could not
swim and was obliged to break away
from her, Milan, who was an expert
swimmer, then jumped into the
water and brought the girl to within
reach of her father, who had waded
out from the shore. Milan was ex-
hausted and called for help and Tim
Emerson threw off his coat and
Jumped in to help him. Both boys
came up just out of reach of the boat
and then sank to death together
c. +. Wltter. father of the girl,
gives different version of what hap
pened and probably the correct one
He says:
Il drove down from Moscow with
my wife, two daughters and a couple
of their friends to spend Sunday
with some Moscow girls who were
working at the Alpowa fruit orchard
OF White Bros. & Crum. We were
sitting on the bank watching the 3
or 20 girls who were bathing. A
young man named Pearce was with
them, showing some of them how to
swim. | heard some one shout Iona
has gone under and rushed to the
bank Of the river, where a boat had
been drawn up. / pushed it out,
holding with one hand to the stern
as ! waded into the water up to my
shoulders. The bathers were in
water a little over their waists, but
my daughter had gone down in a
mole, where the water was about IL
ieet deep. Pearce had dived and
came up with Shelona, where ! could
reach her and draw her to me. He
gasped i am all in, but managed to
grasp the stern of the boat. | did
not know then that anyone else had
jumped in to help her, but as the
boat was being pulled in and | was
Saolng beside it, | saw two heads
come up behind it, | laid the girl on
'ne Dank and waded back, thinking
mat could grab the boys when they
came up, but they did not show
again"
Mr. Writer'S story is corroborated
III part by other witnesses, who say
'nat when Pearce called Il am al
IN Milan jumped into the river, but
WAS dragged down by his clothes and
'ue under current and cried for help
"nen Emerson started to swim to hi:
assistance, but both boys went dowr
together.
I'm Emerson was working a
marry McKen2ies orchard above Wa
laval and had gone to Silcott in re
'p0nse TO an invitation to take din
"e' with some friends from Moscow
the time the alarm was given hi
vas sitting with these friends in tn,
0uoW OF the warehouse, having re
N'eu repeated urgings to go in bath
s because he \had promised hi
'ner that he would keep out o
e river, which she regarded as dan
''ous' He threw off his coat be
'e he reached the bank, but had OF
MS other clothing when he en-
,eu the water. The heroism of hi
~ was all the greater because h,
~, N' an inexperienced swimmer, hav
-. as learned only last summer whil'
enuing the Y. NJ. c. A. vocational
Oerence for high school boys a
me double drowning occurred a
~. ~ o'clock or a few minutes later
, u the news reached Pullman a
CLOCK. J. N. Emerson at one
leu Tor Silcott in his car, accom-
I NED by John and Carl Gerding, DIR
m uer and d. F. staley. They mad
Gu uriVe in record time, arriving a
'Ott at 2:SO. Search for the bod