(Of course this caught my eye because of the sponsor- Miss Valentine Moon. One more story to add to the Moon history. And I thought it odd that Miss Moon didn't jump in to try to save the girl. Perhaps she couldn't swim.)
The Caddo Herald
March 4, 1927
Edith Adair Drowns in River Saturday
Miss Edith Adair, 15-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Warner Adair of Caddo, was drowned in the Blue River near Armstrong 6 miles south of Caddo Saturday afternoon about 3 o’clock.
The tragedy occurred a short distance east of the bridge. Edith and about 15 of her girl companions, sponsored by Miss Valentine Moon, teacher in junior high school, were having a hiking party on the bank of the stream near the hole of water used in the summer by bathers. The girls were holding to a wire cable tied to the limb of a tree for the use of divers and swinging out over the water. Edith swung twice and remarked that the high ride made her feel weak and that she did not care to swing any more. Her companions, children like, eagerly bantered her to try again. Reluctantly she took hold of the cable and swung out, but her strength was too far gone to bring her back to shore. Her hands slipped and she dropped, disappearing in the 15-foot water.
Witnesses said she did not say a word or utter a cry as she fell. She came to the surface of the water twice, but there was little sign of a struggle. It is probable that she fainted and went into the river in an unconscious state of mind.
Nobody, but members of the party, was near enough to offer assistance. One of the girls, Gladys Webber, 14 years old, went into the stream. She is a good swimmer, but the chilly water was too much for her and she was driven back to land.
As quickly as possible the help of a man at Armstrong was secured. With the aid of a boat and hook he succeeded in bringing Edith’s lifeless form to the bank, fifteen minutes after she dropped from the swing.
First aid was administered and distress calls were sent to Caddo and Durant. Help soon arrived from both places. A pulmoter was taken to the scene, but too late to be used. Life had already left the body of the girl.
Mr. Adair was working on the school building at Midway at the time of his daughter’s death and Mrs. Adair was at home. Both arrived at the river within a few minutes after the tragedy.
The corpse was brought to Caddo immediately and placed in the Adair home to be prepared for burial.
The funeral services were held Sunday afternoon at 3 o’clock in the Baptist church, of which Edith was a member. The services were conducted by Rev. H. T. Wiles, pastor of the Baptist church, and Rev. W. J. Gray, pastor of the Methodist Church. Burial was had in the Caddo Cemetery. Both services were attended by a large crowd.
News of Edith’s death was a painful shock to the entire neighborhood. She was one of the town’s sweetest and most loved young ladies. She always took an earnest part in the work of her church and Sunday School. In high school she was a junior and her excellent work there never failed to put her grade among the best. In her death, the town lost one of its brightest flowers; in her death, Mr. and Mrs. Adair lost a priceless treasure, a treasure that can never be replaced.
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