Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-06-16
TRAGEDIES ENACTED AT
Wildly SEPARATED
POINTS
DROWN IN CANAL
STRANGE FATE PURSUES GULL
FENTON FAMlLiES-ONE MEETS
DEATH IN OTTAWA AND THE
OTHER AT MARSElLLES.

Fate's strange pursuit of the Gull.
Feuton families, related by close
blood ties, is told in the following
stories OF the tragic ends Of Cornelius
Gull 3S, Ottawa, and Thomas Fenton,
40, Marseilles saloonkeeper Both
We're drowned in the same body Of
water within a few hours of one an
other, but at widely separated points.
The victims are first cousins. Mr..
Fonton met tragic death in the canal
a. Marselles Saturday shortly before
midnight. At Zoo O'Clock that same
night Mr.. Gull was drowned in the
side-eut in Ottawa.
Cornelius Gull.
While crossing the railroad bridge
over the side-cut at Jackson street,
just before midnight, Saturday, Cor
nelus Gull, aged 3S years, Of COS West
Madison street, stumbled and fell.
meeting with instant death Twenty
minutes later the body was removed
!
Gagel, co. c, 123th Infantry, and Lew
is Lambert, night watchman at the
Knowles foundry, A long cash on
the side of the head indicated that the
dead man had probably met instant
death when he struck the iron girder
at the side Of the bridge, and an alb
sonce of water in the lungs verified
this supposition
Mrs. Louis Gagcl, who resides at
907 Canal street, and her son Clar
cnCe were the only persons who heard
Mr. Gull when he met with the acci
dent Mrs Gagel was sitting on the
front porch talking with her son
who recently returned from France,
sufficiently to enable them 10 rest
comfortably inside.
Their house is situated about eighty
feet from the bridge They heard a
person approach the bridge and as
the steps Syew closer heard a Stun
bic and splash
They both ran to the bridge. to see
what had happened Private Gagol
waited on watch 50 that he could dive
in as soon as the man rose to the
top for air and bring him out His
mother ran to Knowles foundry. can.
ing Mr. Lambert and to the police sta
ton nearby.
Mr.. Lambert picked up pair of
grab hooks and Officer Dan Fitzgcr-
aid ran from the police station with a
searchlight Gagel and Mr.. Iamhert
b'th jumped into the canal and start
ed searching carefully from the point
whore the bridge was splattered with
water A few feet away, Mr. Gagel
found the man, lying on the bottom of
the canal. They brought him up and
laid him on the bank where DR.. NJ. II.
Sawyer was summoned to attend
him, and a pulmotor was used in
hopes of reviving him but all attempts
proved futile. Men on the bank were
working over the dead man not TWEEN
ty minutes after he had fallen into
the canal.
The bridge only has railroad ties
for siding at the edge of the tracks,
and an open space of more than tw-
feet between the edge Of the ties and
the large I-beams on the sides. Per.
sons in that part of the city have used
the bridge for footbridge, although
anyone passing across can notice the
chance they are taking by walking
over it, especially in the evening The
canal had been empty for several
days, and had been filled only Satur
day. The water did not reach !
height of more than four feet.
The body was removed to the
Dwyer undertaking parlors, after Or
Sawyer had pronounced it useless
to continue the fight for life any long
er, where a coroner's inquest was helC
this morning at O'clock A verdict
of accidental death was returned
Mr.. Gull is the son of Mrs. HANNAH
Gull of sos West Madison street He
was born in Grand Rapids township
Eu resided in ottawa for seven
teen years, being employed for mum