Moorehead - Herbert
Source: Crawfordsville Weekly Journal Friday, 7 October 1898
Herbert Moorhead, the only son of Dr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Moorhead, formerly of this city and now of Terre Haute, was drowned in Lake Maxinkuckee on Wednesday. The body was recovered yesterday and taken to Terre Haute for interment. The unfortunate young man was well known here, he having visited his grandmother, Mrs. Kelley, East Main Street, and other relatives here every summer. He was here only a few weeks ago and spent some time. He was an exceedingly popular boy and his many friends will be deeply pained to learn of his death. The Terre Haute Express gives the following account of the accident:
“Herbert Moorhead, son of Dr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Moorhead of North Eighth Street, was drowned yesterday afternoon at Lake Maxinkuckee by the capsizing of a sail boat. A young man from Ohio, Russell Burner, also a cadet at the Culver Military Academy, was also drowned.
The first intimation of the accident was received by Mr. J. M. Bigwood, whose son is at the school. Yesterday afternoon he received word to go at once to the long distance telephone, as some person wished to speak with him. Mr. Bigwood responded immediately, and when he learned from the central telephone office that Culver Military Academy wanted to talk with him he immediately thought that something had happened to his son, Lane. Commandant A. F. Fleet’s first words threw the anxious father into a frenzy of excitement. They were: “Do not worry; Lane is all right.”
After a pause Colonel Fleet continued telling Mr. Bigwood of the sad accident and asking him to break the news to the bereaved parents. Mr. Bigwood was so upset by the shock that he at once went to Colonel South and the two went to the house, stopping to inform Mrs. South and a few of the neighboring women, who accompanied the gentlemen.
The ladies stopped at the Moorhead residence, but Mr. Bigwood went on a search for attorney A. J. Kelley. He did not feel equal to the task of breaking the sorrowful news to the parents of the young man, and knowing that Mr. Kelley was intimately acquainted with the family, sought him.
Mr. Kelley was eventually found and accompanied the party back to the house. The news was broken gently to Mrs. Moorhead, but the scene was a most pitiful one. The mother seemed first to treat the matter as nothing more than a cruel joke on the part of the attorney, and laughed hysterically; but when she realized that the awful intelligence was true, her grief was terrible in its intensity, and the strong men were compelled to leave the room.
Sympathetic friends and neighbors were at the house all yesterday afternoon and last night, but Mrs. Moorhead was thoroughly prostrated and could not be consoled. The doctor is also prostrated with grief over the untimely end of his only son. The boy was the idol of his parents, and was a dutiful and loving son.
When the intelligence was received yesterday afternoon the Express immediately telegraphed its correspondent at Lake Maxinkuckee for full particulars. It seems that the young men, both of whom were cadets in the Culver Military Academy, slipped out of barracks yesterday afternoon without leave and went sailing on the lake in one of Lampson’s boats. The boat was one known as a ‘cat rigged’ craft, very treacherous in a squall, although there is but one sail to manage. After sailing for some time the two boys were beating up the east shore of the lake under full sail, and when directly opposite the Indiana boat house, the little craft was caught in a sudden squall and capsized. Both boys sank and did not come to the surface. Rescuing parties were immediately sent out, but were too late to be of any service. The bodies had not been recovered up to a late hour last night, though a steamer with a searching party is still out.
A special coach and engine will be run up to the lake this morning as fast as steam can take it. It will be given right of way over everything and the dispatchers will see to it that it has a clear track. H. H. Culver, of St. Louis, will arrive from the west on the 3:25 Vandalia train this morning, and as soon as he can step from the train to the special coach the engineer of the special will pull the throttle of his engine wide open. Dr. Moorhead will accompany Mr. Culver as will Frank Ryan, the undertaker. Mr. Culver is the son of the man who founded and endowed the academy which bears his name.
The other victim of the fatal cruise, Russell Burner, is the only son of an Ohio doctor, but his exact address is not known. Burner was Herbert Moorhead’s roommate and was just eighteen years of age, the same age as Moorhead. The body of young Moorhead will be embalmed as soon as recovered from the lake and brought to this city for burial. - thanks so much for this sad obituary "S"