January 23, 1943
Tragedy ended a gay afternoon of play for three Winchester school pupils Sunday afternoon when two of the group lost their lives after plunging through the ice on White River at the north edge of town.
The victims were:
Raymond Charles Fields, age 11, 624 North Meridian street.
Robert Lee Fields, age 10, of the same address.
A third boy, Dick Siebert, age 12, North Meridian street, escaped the fate of his companions although he, too, was in the water.
The victims are the sons of Mrs. Margaret Fields, of the Meridian street address and William Fields Sr., Los Angeles, Cal. Mrs. Fields is employed at the Anchor Hocking Glass Co. and worked from 6 a.m. until noon Sunday.
Elsworth Hutchens who lives near the city disposal plant made a vain attempt to rescue the boys but was unable to reach them in time. Mr. Hutchens, the only known eye-witness to the tragedy said he believed the older Fields boy attempted to rescue his brother and that neither was able to reach the river bank. The water is estimated to be approximately 10 feet deep where the boys went through the ice.
Sheriff Kora E. Davis was called to the scene and later was joined by other officials in dragging the river. The first body was recovered about 5 p.m.-approximately one and one-half hours after the drowning-and the second body was found shortly before 8 p.m. Both were within a few feet of the point where the ice had broken under the victims.
The first news of the drowning came when the Seibert boy rushed up the river bank shouting for help. Mr. Hutchens ran to the Pennsylvania railroad bridge spanning the river just above the point where the boys broke through the ice, crossed from the south to the north bank of the stream and ran down the bank.
"I saw a dark form, probably one of the boys, bobbing up and down under the ice when I crossed the bridge," Mr. Hutchens said, "and the other boy was grabbing at the edge of the ice but it kept breaking. I picked up a stick as I ran and tried to get the end of it to the boy but it was too short."
In the meantime neighbors were aroused by the shouts of the Seibert boy and the sheriff and police officials were called.
Grappling hooks from the sheriff's office were used and a boat borrowed from Ray Augsburger, 829 Beeson Drive, was taken to the scene and used in the search.
In addition to the sheriff, Deputy Sheriff Lester Puterbaugh, who found one body about 7:45 p.m., Police Chief Charles Bullock, who found the first body about 5 p.m., Officers Cliff Hines and Forrest Holdeman and State Police Officer Merrill Wann aided in the search. Coroner Lowell W. Painter also was called.
Two pike poles were borrowed from the fire department and used after the grappling hooks repeatedly became entangled in the masses of metal, fencing and trash that had been dumped into the river from the city dump which is adjacent to the scene. One set of grappling hooks caught in the refuse and probably will not be recovered until the water level lowers, the sheriff said.
The water was described as being from one to two feet above normal because of recent rains and melting snow.
Artificial respiration was applied to the first boy recovered but attempts at revival failed.
The Seibert boy, greatly upset by the tragedy, was placed under the care of a physician as was Mrs. Fields, mother of the boys, and Mrs. Phyllis Welch, Mrs. Fields daughter.
Mrs. Fields was at the scene of the drowning for a short time but then was returned to her home.
The Seibert boy lives next door to the Fields home and resides with his uncle, Harry White and his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank White.
This is from the Randolph County Coroner's Report to the Circuit Court on January 30, 1943.
Statement of witness Elsworth Hutchens: I live on what is known as the City Farm at the north edge of Winchester. I live about 500 feet from where the boys drowned, that is where my home is. Some little boy ran up to our house yelling for help and my wife and the boy went to the telephone to call the police and I went down to the railroad bridge at the river to see what I could do. That was about 3:00 in the afternoon. One boy had gone down and I could see a dark shadow and I thought I could hear him under the ice. The other boy was in the water and I could see him and that he was drowning. I got a stick about five feet long and tried to reach it to him but I couldn't reach him. I don't know how to swim and I didn't think it would help him to jump in there as the water was over ten feet deep. It was about two minutes that the boy struggled to get on the ice but it kept breaking under him and then he went under. I could see him under the ice and then he went down. The boy didn't come up again. I stayed there until more help came. It didn't seem very long until Kora Davis, the Sheriff came.
Verdict: Accidental death of both boys by drowning.
Lowell W. Painter M.D., Coroner of Randolph County
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| The Fields boys headstone at Maxville Cemetery in Randolph County, Indiana |
Union City Times-Gazette
Tuesday, January 26,1943
Double funeral rites for two brothers to be Thursday afternoon.
Double funeral services for Raymond Charles 13 and Robert Lee,10,sons of Mrs. Margaret (Yost) Fields of Winchester,who were drowned when they plunged through the ice on the White river at the north edge of Winchester Sunday afternoon,will be conducted Thursday at 2 p.m. at the Nazarene Church. Rev. N.B. Herrell,the pastor,will officiated. Burial will be in the Maxville cemetery. The bodies will be removed about noon today from the Summers mortuary to the residence 624 N. Meridian street, Winchester. Friends may call after the noon hour.
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