MOMONROE-L Archives

From: Lisa Perry <>
Subject: [MOMONROE] NBC: Smiley
Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 20:06:37 -0400

Undated article; original source unknown. Extracted from the newspaper
article collection started in 1879 by Mrs. Nannie Brown of Madison,
Missouri.



(Jesse) Smiley Drowned.



"Last Sunday afternoon, between one and two o'clock, while bathing with
some companions in a pond on the farm of J.W. Atterbury, Jr., Jesse
Smiley son of R.L. Smiley of this place was drowned. Mr. Atterbury has
repeatedly warned the boys of Madison that the pond is dangerous, it
being very wide and deep - eighteen feet at it's deepest with an average
depth of fourteen feet. But in spite of his warnings it has always been
a favorite bathing place on account of the water being so free from mud.

Some eight or ten boys sought this pond Sunday, directly after dinner.
After swimming around near the banks for some ten or fifteen minutes,
one of the boys proposed that they swim across. Jesse Smiley is
reported to have said, 'I don't know whether I can swim that far, for I
haven't been in the water before for a year.' The boys told him that he
had better not try, but when they started he followed. When almost
across, they were startled by his cry of 'Oh, boys!' and looking back
saw him about two thirds of the way across the pond, struggling in the
water, having become exhausted and unable to swim any further. Edgar
Roberson was nearest to him, but before he could reach him to give him
any assistance he had sunk from sight, and the boys realizing that he
was drowning became panic stricken and made for the bank, throwing on
their clothes and running for assistance. Lucian Frank and Edgar
Roberson remained in the water and attempted to get a rail in reach of
the downing boy, realizing that (. unable to read next few lines) Four
times the rose to the surface and then sank from sight, to rise no more.

The boys who had first gotten out of the water ran to town spreading the
news as they ran, and in less than ten minutes the banks of the pond
were thronged with men, who hoped that if they could at once rescue the
body that they might be able to revive the spark of life. The boy's
father was among the first to reach the pond, not realizing until he
reached it that the body of his boy was still at the bottom, and then he
became so frantic with grief that he had to be taken from the scene.
Although the boys could tell where young Smiley had sunk, search at that
spot failed to find the body and for two hours all efforts were in vain.
Finally a seine was procured, the pond dragged, and the body was thus
brought to the bank - Dr. Carver assisted by other willing hands, used
all known means, trying if possible to bring back life, but the body had
been under water too long.

Gentle hands clothed the boy and all that was mortal of Jesse Smiley was
tenderly borne back to the home that he had left but a few hours before
strong and well. The remains were taken to South Fork church, near
Santa Fe, on Monday, where appropriate funeral services, conducted by
Rev. D. Ernest McCurry, of this place, the body was laid to rest. Never
has any death made the hearts of the whole community sadder than has
that of Jesse Smiley. He has lived her only since last January, his
father going into the livery business at that time, but he has made many
warm friends, and by his gentle manners and courteous treatment of all
won the respect of those who were but mere acquaintances. But a boy in
years, he was just seventeen, so good was his judgment and so willing
his hands that his father depended a great deal on him in carrying on
his business. He was the joy and pride of his mother's heart and was
lovingly referred to by both parents as their 'good boy.'

He was a member of the Methodist church, a regular attendant at all
church services and a devoted member of the L.T.L. To show their
appreciation of his worth, the boys and girls of this order met at the
Baptist church on Monday morning and with their arms loaded with flowers
marched to him home, burying the casket beneath the fragrant blossoms
and almost filling the room with them. Six young men, Nat Brownfield,
Roy Mitchell, Oba Farrell, Jim Baker, Pearl Riggs and Ben Cunningham
were the pall bearers and accompanied the remains to South Fork. They
sympathy of all goes out to Mr. and Mrs. Smiley, but time alone is the
only thing that can alleviate the great sorrow that has overtaken them."




Copyright notice: All transcriptions in this email are copyrighted by
their creator. They may not be reproduced on another site or on any
printed or recorded media, CD, etc. without specific written permission
from Kathleen Wilham. Although public information is not in and of
itself copyrightable, the format in which it is presented,
transcriptions, notes & comments, etc. is. It is however, quite
permissible to print or save the files to a personal computer for
personal use only. Permission is granted to public libraries, and
genealogical and historical societies to print and bind for the use of
their patrons.



Kathleen Wilham

2 Sharon Drive

Shelbina, MO. 63468-1562

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