The Ouachita Telegraph - Drowning of D. M. Downing

Date: Jul. 2000
Submitted by: Lora Peppers <lpeppers@ouachita.lib.la.us>

USGenWeb NOTICE: All documents placed in the USGenWeb Archives remain the property of the 
contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and 
Regulations.

In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents 
may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by non-commercial 
entities, when written permission is obtained from the contributor, so long as all notices 
and submitter information are included.

These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit.

Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the 
contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites.

************************************************************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
************************************************************************************************


The Ouachita Telegraph
Friday, July 28, 1876
Page 1, Column 5

SAD CASE OF DROWNING.
        From the Vicksburg Herald we glean the followin(g) paticulars (sic)
of the drowning of an estimable young man at Delta who was very well known in 
this city:
        The river opposite Delta was dragged yesterday for the body of the
late L.M. Downing, torpedoes were exploded, and every effort made to recover 
the body, but without success.  Several persons, friend of the late Mr. Downing,
went over from this city to assist in the search, and to render any aid in
their power.  From those who returned we learn the following further
particulars of the unfortunate affair:  Mr. Downing, Mr. Nick Lewis, and
Mr. Jas. Hudson were swimming in front of the walfboat (sic), jumping into
the river from the upper end of the wharfboad (sic), and swimming down to
the lower end.  Mr. Hudson jumped in first, and was followed by Mr. Lewis,
Mr. Downing coming last.  Hudson being in the lead, playfully and
banteringly splashed water in Mr. Lewis’ face, and Lewis was pursuing him
when he heard a faint cry from Mr. Downing, “Oh, Nick!”  He turned
immediately around, for something in the tone of Downing’s voice seemed to
indicate that he was in distress.  He called to Mr. Hudson and both turned
and swam back to their comarade (sic) as quickly as possible, but he had
sunk once before they could reach him.  Downing laid one hand on the
shoulder of each of them and they held him above the water some time, when
all three sank down together.  Major Green, Superintendent of the Vicksburg
and Shreveport railroad, and several other persons were standing on the
shore and saw the struggling going on in the river, but were almost
powerless to render any immediate assistance.  A skiff was near by, but it
was chained and locked, and it was some little time before the lock could be
broken, and even after that was accomplished the boat became entangled in
the chain and delayed the aid for the drowning men some little time.  The
negro men who were sent out in the skiff finally got out into the river, but
meanwhile Mr. Lewis and Mr. Hudson, who were still clinging to Mr. Downing,
had gone down a second time, and when the skiff reached them, Mr. Lewis and
Mr. Hudson were rescued in an insensible condition, but poor Leo Downing had
passed beyond the pale of human endeavor.  His friends had clung to him to
the very last, regardless of their own lives, and if the assistance sent out
to them in the boat had come a moment later, they would have shared his
fate.  Mr. Hudson says he has an indistinct recollection of feeling
Downing’s hand slip from his shoulder, then all grew dark, and the next
thing he knew he was lying on shore, being totally unconscious of the tie or
manner of hi rescue  From what we can learn it seems that Mr. Downing was
not taken with cramp, but hurt himself jumping from the wharf-boat into the
river, and the injury thus sustained prevented him from being able to swim.
        The affair has cast such a gloom over Delta as has never been known
before, and in this city, where Mr. Downing was so well known and beloved, his
unfortunate death has been the source of deep sorrow.  The tug Bigley, with
Maj. Green in charge, went down to Delta yesterday to drag for the body, and
a large cannon was sent over from the city yesterday to be fired over the
river in the hope of recovering the body, but up to a late hour last night
all efforts had been unsuccessful.

#  #  #