Mixed Articles Butler County Kansas

DEAD YOUTH'S PARENTS GIVEN SMALL DAMAGE

Father and Mother of Louie Wilson, Who was drowned, Awarded $1,500

Sought $10,000.00

Boy Lost His Life While Swimming at Wonderland Park in June, 1919

The suit for $10,000 damages filed in district court April 7, 1920, by Claude and Lottie Wilson of Oil Hill, against C. W. Beaumont of El Dorado was settled by counsel for both sides shortly after court convened this morning. The plaintiff was awarded $1,500 damages and costs of the case.

The action was started in court yesterday afternoon. When court convened this morning, the attorneys for the plaintiff announced they had presented about half of their evidence, and that the case would probably occupy the balance of the day. At the time, however, there was a movement under way to settle the case out of court. Announcement of this fact was made when the Jurors had been in their places about twenty minutes. Leland, Bond and McCluggage were attorneys for the plaintiff, and Aikman & Aikman represented the defendants.

The plaintiffs brought the action as a result of their son Louie, being drowned in the swimming pool at Wonderland Park during the summer of 1919. Mr. Beaumont is owner of the pool.

The plaintiff's based their cause of action on the grounds of alleged negligence on the part of the defendant in properly operating the pool they declared in their petition that the defendant did not furnish life guards or attendants to look after the safety of the bathers in the pool, that the defendant also failed to warn the bathers and the deceased of the depth of the water in the pool and that not methods of providing or recuperating any persons suffering injury while bathing had been provided.

The accident that resulted in the death of the youth occurred the night of June 22, 1919, about 8:30 o'clock when he in company with another boy had gone to the pool for a swim. They had been in the water but a few minutes when Louis ventured too far into the deep water and was drowned.

Following the completion of the case, the jurors were dismissed until Tuesday morning, when court will be convened for the first time next week. No court will be held on Monday as Judge A. T. Ayres will be at Eureka holding the January term of the Greenwood County Court. (El Dorado Times, January 15, 1921)

FIND FAINT CLEW OF MISSING WOMAN

But one faint clew has been found by officers who are investigating the sudden disappearance of Mrs. Josephine Bryant, of Wichita, but formerly of El Dorado. Mrs. Bryant left her home last Monday afternoon in her Chandler touring car and all efforts to locate her since have been in vain.

The clew the officers are working on is a report that Mrs. Bryant was seen in her car near Lindsborg, Thursday afternoon. She is said to have stopped for gas at a filling station at that place. She also is said to have been alone. Mr. Bryant is reported to have gone to Lindsborg in search of his wife, but has made no report to officers. When Mrs. Bryant disappeared she is said to have had with her $133 in money and several valuable jewels. (El Dorado Times, January 15, 1921)

The divorce granted to Mrs. Elizabeth Tarr, of Augusta by Judge A. T. Ayres, November 20, was annulled late yesterday afternoon when the case was called for further testimony. This is the first time such action has been taken by Judge Ayres in a number of terms of court.

Mrs. Tarr was granted a divorce from her husband when she showed that he had abandoned her and their children, and had failed to support them. Previous to that an attempt has been made by county officers to bring Tarr back to Kansas from Texas on a charge of wife and child desertion. When it was believed he could not be found, the divorce was granted.

Early in December, the officers received a tip that Tarr was at Breckenridge, Tex., he was arrested and returned to El Dorado and he has been held at the county jail since. In the meantime it was reported that Tarr had sent his wife and children several hundred dollars while he had been away from them.

Yesterday afternoon, Mrs. Tarr and her husband were called into court. Mrs. Tarr admitted that her husband had sent her sums of money at various times, and that he provided a home for her and their children at Breckenridge. She said the reason she returned to Augusta after going to Texas was because there was no school for the children. Tarr testified that there was a school within two miles of their place. Considerable other evidence also was introduced which showed that Tarr was not altogether responsible for the estrangement between the couple and Judge Ayres set aside the decree. He also ordered the desertion charges placed against Tarr to be dismissed upon the payment of the costs of the case.

In addition several other actions were handled by the court during the day. Two more suits for divorce were granted. They went to Grace M. Pirtle from Milton E. Pirtle and Gladys M. Fenner from Walter Fenner. (El Dorado Times, January 12, 1921)