24 May 1899 Death of J. O. Eakins An Awful Lingering Death Alone in the Woods - Dogs the Last to Leave Particulars are now arriving from the Bedias precinct relative to the death of J. O. Eakins, which was mentioned in the Examiner of Saturday, and indicates that his death was one of lingering torture and slow ebbing. Mr. Eakins was an extensive dealer in cattle and had gone out Wednesday on a drive. Thursday his horse came home without the rider and later his dogs got home. Friday a search was made for him and the lifeless body was found on the side of a small road. Surroundings seem to show that his horse had attempted to run between two trees and that he had been caught and violently thrown to the ground, in which he had both his legs broken and was unable to move from the spot wehre he fell. He had, with his pocket knife, dug a hole in the ground a foot or more in depth; presumably, to search for water or to obtain damp dirt, with which to relieve his burning thirst. But after long hours of waiting no relief from neighbors or passers-by came and his elderly constitution could no longer retain the spark of life within the body so he died. He was also probably weakened by the fact that he had but a short time before recovered from another broken leg and able to get out. Some farmers near the place of the accident are reported to have heard Mr. Eakins hollowing for help; they were busy plowing, paid little attention, and thought that the man wanted someone to help him with his cattle and being without horses and saddles they naturally did not go that way, but were horrified afterwards to learn of the facts in the terrible and lonesome death. ***************** Baby's Now an Angel After a long and trying illness Maymee Leah, infant daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Moore, died at the family home at 2.50 o'clock Sunday morning and the body was interred in the city cemetery yesterday afternoon. The little one was but thirteen months and five days of age and a bright spark of heavenly light in the now darkened household. ***************** 29 May 1899 A child of Will Beohme died at Anderson yesterday and will be buried this evening. ******************* 30 May 1899 Death of Mrs. Gamble Mrs. Rebecca Elizabeth Gamble, mother of Mrs. Eura Lawson, died at her daughter's home, this morning at 4.45, aged 63 years and 25 days. Mrs. Gamble was born in Alabama May 5th, 1836, and removed to this city a few years ago to reside with her daughter. She has been for a long time a great sufferer from rheumatism and the past year or more has been helpless. She bore her great suffering with remarkable patience and welcomed death as a happy relief from her unfortunate condition. Mrs. Gamble was a woman of noble traits of character, an humble and consistent christian. Mrs. Lawson, is, we believe, her only relative in the county, and she has the profound sympathy of the entire community. The funeral will take place tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock from her late residence. ****************** 01 Jun 1899 Killed By Well Damp John Hawkins, Colored, Meets Instant Death This Morning. This morning a servant at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Doerge attempted to throw a bucketful of broken glass into a dry 16-foot well near the house. In doing so, the [sic] accidentally dropped the pail in also. John Hawkins, a colored fellow about 35 years old, and handy man about the place, secured a short ladder and, against instructions, went for the bucket. When at a point three or four feet from the bottom of the well he gave a long groan and fell over lifeless. A doctor was dispatched for and the man drawn from the hole but nothing could be done for him, more than according the body decent burial, and Justice Forrester was notified to view the remains before disposition. Mr. Doerge twice afterwards let a lighted lantern into the well and it immediately went out - proving conclusively that the hole was deadly charged with well damp, in which human life could not exist for a moment. The body was drawn out by a looped rope being thrown about his waist. Eleanor Colson