Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1926-07-08
g. NJ. TAYLOR DROWNED IN
EFFORT TO SAVE DAUGHTER

| concerning the tragic death by
drowning, of George M. Taylor OF
Portsmouth, which occurred Sun
day, we take the following from
IThe Columbus Dispatch:
while attempting to rescue his
11year old daughter, Betty, from a
watery grave in the Scroto river
near Rushton yesterday, George M.
Taylor, publisher of the Portsmouth
Morning Sun, drowned when the
iswirlina undercurrent caught him
and pulled him beneath the surface.
His body was recovered two hours
after the accident. Mr. Taylor,
and his daughter, his wife, Frank
! ferguson, close friend, and Mrs j.
Frost Davis, at whose camp on the
lriver the Taylors were visiting.
were enjoying a Fourth of July
| bathing party in the swiftly flowing
! lstream. Betty yentured TOO far in
to the river and was caught by the
Itugging undertow Her gather, who
was not a good swimsner, leaped in
to the water and padded to the
| drowning girls side. He, too. was
Icaught in the grip of the current af-
ter reaching Betty with father and
! daughter fioundering about in mid
Istream, Ferguson who has repu-
tation of being a good swimmer.
swan to the rescue. He succeeded
in reaching the pair, and holding
! Betty above water. bat Taylor, his
istrength gone, disappeared beneath
| the surface, Despite his ability as a
swimmer, Ferguson was unable to
bring the little girl to safety, and he
was slowly losing his valiant battle
with the stream. Mrs. Taylor and
Mrs. Davis, on a sandbar in the cen
| ter Of the river, in the meantime
had been feverishly attempting to
shove rowboat across the stream
so that Lem Brady of Portsmouth
and Mortis Cole of Columbus, who
were standing on the opposite bank,
could go to the rescue. In spite of
Everything the women could do, the
current prevented the boat from
crossing the river Attracted to the
scene by the shouting, Ralph Bender,
12. Portsmouth, rowed to the bank
where Brady and Cole stood help
! less. The men leaped into the boat,
and with the boy reached Ferguson
and Betty in time to save them.
Both Ferguson and the little girl
were nearly overcome by their strug
gle with the current. Betty was
unconscious. When she revived it
was with full realization of the
tragedy, for her first words were:
ooh, l tried so hard to save Daddy"
Funeral services were held We'd
nesday afternoon from the Bigelow
M. E. church at Portsmouth, with
interment in the Greenwood ceme-
terry, of that city. News of Mr.. Tay-
lor's death came with particular sad
ness to this place, which is proud to
claim him as one of its honored sons.
He was born here in 1877. His
father was the late VIM. Taylor at
one time sheriff of Morgan county.
He graduated from the local high
school in the year 1892, and not
long afterward left this place, and
took up newspaper work, which he
successfully followed, until at the
time Of his death he was one of the
leading men of his profession in the
state. This was evident in the fact
that the morning following his
death, the leading papers of Ohio
gave the account of his death their
most prominent places. Mr.. Taylor
was self-made man in every re-
spect. He went to Portsmouth Is
years ago. He was a member of the
Associated Press, and was a broth
er of Mr.. Harry e. Taylor, publish
er of the Portsmouth Times and
Ironton Tribune. Besides his wife,
daughter and brother, he is surviv-
ed by his step-mother Mrs. Jennie
Taylor of Akron, and step-brother
Mr.. Dan Shelby of Akron, who is al
so his cousin.
Through Mr.. Jos. T. Sheridan
who returned Tuesday evening from
Portsmouth where he had been Wis
iting his brother Mr.. Frank Sheri
dan. we are in possession of copy
of the Portsmouth Morning Sun,
of the date of July 6. This issue is
devoted largely to Mr. Taylor's
death, and contains number of
tributes from his close associates,
of the Portsmouth Sun, and of the
Portsmouth Times. The longest and
best of the tributes is by Mr.. Frank
w. Sheridan, advertising manager of !
the Portsmouth Times, who was one |
of Mr.. Taylors lifelong friends, the |
two going through school together, |
and graduating in the same class
here. They taught school in ad- |
joining districts, and together they |
took over the business management |
of the Fremont, o., Messenger, op-
Grating the paper for some time. !
We also learn from Mr.. Sheridan's |
tribute, that Mr.. Taylor was re-
porter on the Cincinnati Post; other
papers he was with included papers
1T Memphis, Tenn; Chicago Trib-
Inc, and New Orleans Times Plea
yune; and he worked in a number of
offices on the Pacific
'OdSt. AS SLdtcu dDoNe, loI tHe past
Is years he had been at Portsmouth,
vince which time he had been close
y associated with his brother Mr..
Harry E. Taylor in the newspaper .
,Nsiness.
Mr.. and Mrs. Chas. Roberts (Ret-
a BARR had as their guests the lat
er part of last week, Mrs. Roberts
nungnst hrOth her Stephen A. Al |