SEMON, John G.

SEMON, WILLIAMS, HAMPSON, READ, BECK, COURTNEY, MENZIE, RUSSELL, STEVER, SMITH, SPARR

Posted By: Joey Stark
Date: 2/17/2007 at 13:00:09

"Fairfield Ledger Weekly", May 18, 1881

DEATH BY DROWNING.
John G. SEMON Finds a Watery Grave in Cedar Creek

Shortly after noon Saturday three boys well known in this city, John SEMON, Harry WILLIAMS and Lou. HAMPSON, started for Cedar creek to go bathing.--- Taking off their clothes at a deep hole a few rods below the C., R. I. & P. bridge, SEMON and WILLIAMS plunged into the water and swam across the creek, which is probably fifty feet wide at that point. The stream was three or four feet higher than usual, and the swift current exhausted their strength. After resting on the bank they soon started on the return trip, which WILLIAMS accomplished successfully. When but a short distance from the shore, however, SEMON cried out that he didn’t think he could make it, and asked for help. WILLIAMS swam out toward him, HAMPSON being unable to swim, and catching him, succeeded in getting him close to the branches of a tree which had fallen into the water.--- Here he was almost exhausted, and in his struggles with the drowning boy lost his hold. SEMON immediately sank, and did not rise again. Seeing that they could accomplish little without aid, the boys ran to READ’s mill, and Mr. READ, his son and others went to their assistance, but they were unable to find the body. Word was then sent to town and a large force of willing workers were soon engaged in the search. After working until seven o’clock, with very crude implements to aid them, the search was then abandoned by most of the part, although some kept at the work until nine o’clock.

Saturday night was spent busily in arranging grappling hooks, etc., and Sunday morning several hundred people gathered at the scene of the accident, and began the search for the body with renewed activity. Two large rafts were launched and pulled up and down the stream by men on short, while several skiffs and swimmers and divers did good service, but up to noon, although it seemed that a thorough effort had been made, nothing was accomplished. Then a meeting was held, and J. S. BECK chosen to direct the work. The rafts were lashed together, reaching clear across the creek, and lowered down the stream, Jake COURTNEY, Marv. MENZIE, Ed. RUSSELL, Bert. STEVER, Charley SMITH, of Libertyville, and others doing the diving and swimming, while a score or more of men worked with grappling irons and hooks. The raft was run down the stream several hundred yards, but with no better success than before. The divers began to work near where the boy sank, holding to a rope in their descents, and searching carefully on the bottom of the creek. About five o’clock COURTNEY, a powerful swimmer and thorough water man, made a dive about fifty yards below were SEMON entered the water, and thought his feet touched the body. After rising and giving directions to the men at the rope, but saying nothing of his discovery, he went down again, and after remaining under the water some time, arose with the lifeless remains in his arms and was quickly towed ashore. The body laid on the creek bottom, in several feet of water, diagonally across the stream, and was tightly wedged under a snag – held so closely, indeed, that it is hardly probable it would have risen at all. The grappling hooks had caught it several times, making three or four wounds on the body in different places, but in no case had taken hold sufficiently to raise it to the surface. The remains were brought to the city as soon as possible, taken to the home of the bereaved family, and prepared for immediate interment.--- Though in the water about twenty-four hours, and not yet much swollen or disfigured, it was necessary that they be interred as soon as possible. The funeral occurred Monday morning at 10:30, Rev. W. M. SPARR conducting the services, and the remains were followed to their last resting place by a large concourse of people.

John George SEMON was the only son of Henry and Francis SEMON, and was aged eighteen years, six months, fifteen days. He was born and raised in this city. He was a bright, active boy, and of late years had been a great source of comfort to his parents by his aid and care in the management of their property and business. He was a boy of good habits, industrious and intelligent, and was popular among his friends and companions. He was not a venturesome lad, and, by persons some he was accounted a fair swimmer. It is generally thought that his death was caused by cramp seizing him in the water, although he made no complaint of his kind to his comrades.

Mr. and Mrs. SEMON are two of our oldest and most respected German citizens, and the blow is a peculiarly severe one to them. Their two boys, Henry and Johnnie, were their pride and hope. A few years ago death took away Henry, the older, and now John is carried to the grave, his death the result of a lamentable accident, and its suddenness the cause of a greater shock and greater grief than under almost any other circumstances.

As is usual in time of distress, the people of Fairfield turned out nobly to their work of searching for the body, and hundreds of tireless, energetic workers proffered their services on every occasion when a demand was made.--- It was not a pleasant task in the cold, muddy water, but the work never flagged on account of its unpleasantness. Saturday night, after several hours hard work, Mr. READ offered to feed the workers at his home, but because of a lack of tools to prosecute the search further, his kind offer was declined. Sunday a collection of $20 was taken up in a few moments and teams dispatched to the town for provisions to feed the large army of workers. Despite the wet and cold and wearisome task, all hands toiled tirelessly, and their efforts were finally rewarded.

Mr. and Mrs. SEMON tender their heartfelt thanks to the hundreds of friends whose kind offices have placed them under obligations they never can repay, and their sorrow has been made lighter by the universal sympathy shown them in their bereavement.

*Transcribed for genealogy purposes; I have no relation to the person(s) mentioned.