Walker, David - Abt. 1883- 1901

WALKER

Posted By: Linda Vander Linden-Volunteer (email)
Date: 10/26/2011 at 10:42:46

Hawarden Independent, May 30, 1901

A SAD CASE OF DROWNING - David Walker Drowns in Sight of His Companions

Shortly after 5 o'clock Tuesday afternoon while bathing in the Sioux river near the old ford (maybe Fort), at the North side, David Walker met his death from drowning. He and a number of younger students from the high school went to the river immediately after school was out and all were having a jolly time when young Walker was seen by some of them to sink, holding one hand in the air and waving at them as they supposed. He made no outcry and they thought he was just merely letting himself down in the water, to test its depth or something of that kind, and did not realize that he was drowning. Shortly afterward he was missed and the boys begun to search the bank for him and for the first time it dawned upon them that their companion had drowned in their very midst without their knowing it. An alarm was at once given and about a half hour after the sad accident occurred George Shaffer rescued the body by diving in eight or ten feet of water. The remains were taken to Summer's undertaking rooms and his mother who resides near Maurice appraised of his sad fate.

The deceased had been attending the Hawarden high school the past year and was a bright and promising lad eighteen years of age. He was universally liked by both students and teachers and his untimely death falls like a pall upon the school. The funeral was held at Maurice today and was attended by quite a number of his classmates. The blow must fall heavily upon the widowed mother, who lost her husband some eight years ago by being suddenly killed by a railway train, and now her oldest son is ruthlessly taken from her. Besides the widowed mother two younger brothers remain to mourn the loss of their dear one.