Person:Cora Franklin (3)

Three meet death in Swollen Stream Neil McKee and the Misses Jennie and Violet Franklin returning home from a dance run off bridge into creek and are drowned. After having spent a pleasant evening at a big wedding dance in this city last Mon, Neil McKee age 21 and Misses Jennie and Violet Franklin age 13 and 15 years of near this city returning home about 3 am drove off a bridge which spans the St Lawrence creek about a mile and a half south of town and were drowned. During the early part of the night a heavy rain fell and the creek was out of its banks and the bridge being only a temorary affair and being covered with the rushing water and having no railings on either side the young people, owing to the darkness of the night drove off the bridge or were carried off by the swift running water. McKee we are told stopped his buggy at the bridge and said the Bert Tongate who was driving along behind him It don't look safe you had better turn back. Burt later drove into the bridge Tongate seeing the buggy go down and hearing one of the girls scream went immediately to a neighbors house for a lantern and help and soon after searching parties found the body of McKee about 300 yards below the bridge the horse and buggy were close by. After searching and dragging the creek from where the accident happened to the river, about 2 miles the bodies of the girls were found about 7 hours later, about 150 yard below the bridge. After the coroner was notified and an inquest was held the bodies were brought to the city to Roads undertaking establishment. Friends at the dance insisted that the young people stay in this city until morning but thinking that their people would be uneasy about them the concluded to return home and it was only a few hours later these friends learned of their untimely death. The girls were born Violte October 9, 1895 died Oct 3 1910 Perryville Mo Cora Jennie born Aug 13, 1897 died Oct 3, 1910

1. ↑ 1900 Census, Missouri, Perry Co
   Saline Twp Series T623, roll 880, pg 139, 22 Jun 1900.

   Franklin, William P., b. Apr 1846, widowed, b. TN, parents b. TN, farmer
   _____, son, age 21, b. May 1879 in MO, father b. TN, mother b. MO, farmer
   Pleasant?, dau, b. Feb 1882 in MO
   Commodore, son, b. Feb 1884 in MO
   Sadie H, dau, b. Jul 1890 in MO
   Violette, dau, b. Sep 1894 in MO
   Cora A, dau, b. Jul 1897 in MO
   Vessells, Sadie, sister-in-law, b. Mar? 1877 in IL, father b. MO, mother b. Ark
   Vessells, Letha, sister-in-law, b. May 1882 in IL, father b. MO, mother b. Ark