Sept. 12, 1898 - Clay Co. Courier Fell From Tree; Broke Neck and Arm. John Adams, a timber man of the Ferguson & Wheeler Land, Lumber and Handle Co., camped among other timber men on a tract of land a few miles northeast of here on Black river, while out squirrel hunting near the camp last Sunday afternoon, shot a squirrel which lodged in a small tree, and in attempting to climb to the game and dislodge it, Adams fell and broke his neck and arm, dying almost instantly. Clarence Mayhan, an 11-year-old boy who accompanied the unlucky man on his last hunt, said when he fell from the tree and struck the ground, the unfortunate man gasped three or four times and never uttered a word, death ensuing quickly. His remains were interred near the timber camp Monday.