Obituary Record

Wednesday afternoon between the hours of 4:30 and 5 o'clock, Horace Whitfield and Jack Whitfield, father and son, met tragic death when both were drowned in the well-known bayou over at henderson Point, opposite the city of Bay St. Louis.

Horace Whitfield resided north of the O. S. T. auto bridge with his family at the Point. He assisted his father in Bay St. Louis operating a dairy business and traveled to and fro. His father had just carried him across the bridge and back home a short time previously and he had hardly been with his family when he planned to go across the bridge over to a neighbor's house and repair a broken screen.

He was followed by two of his sons. It appears, the younger of the two, Jack, stumbled and fell over into the waters of the bayou, which formerly had been dredged. Subsequent speculations make it appear the little fellow fell into the deep holes left by the dredging operations. His father was quick to see what had happened and jumped over to save him. However, he, too, soon became a victim of the distressed situation.

Andrew Pouyadou, who was casting for bait at the time, from a boat in the waters of the bayou, saw the father go over and soon came upon the scene and threw his heavy cast-net into the waters hoping to get the body, however, he did not get the one he was fishing for but instead that of the boy, which was brought up and immediately others gathered and soon the body of the father was recovered. [...cut off..] every known method, from first aid to the professional use of the pulmotor, (subscribed for and lately purchased through the instrumentality of the Bay St. Louis Chamber of Commerce), was brought into play, but to no avail.

But those engaged in the effort at resuscitation did not propose to give up. Both bodies, pronounced dead by Dr. J. C. Buckley and Dr. D. H. Ward, and turned over to the undertakers, the work in attempt to revive both continued while being transferred across the bridge in the hearse.

Reaching Bay St. Louis the bodies were taken to the King's Daughters hospital, where further attempts to revive continued, until finally all hopes were abandoned and the bodies embalmed and prepared for burial. From the Fahey Undertaking Home in Union street, they were taken to the home of Mr. and Mrs. E. Van Whitfield, in Necaise avenue, where they reached about 11 o'clock, and were exposed to the view of the hundreds of people that formed a stream of friends and acquaintances that continued to flow in all during the night.

It was a most pathetic sight, needless to say, and the many who called had gone to offer whatever assistance possible to sympathize with Mr. and Mrs. Whitfield and family and with the widow and her children as well.

Both funerals took place Thursday afternoon as one from the residence of Mr. Whitfield Sr.

The Rev. C.C. Clark, pastor of the First Methodist church, officiated at the ceremony of the young father, and Rev. Father Fahey, of Bay St. Louis, officiated at the ceremony for the son, who had died in Catholic faith. Both caskets were placed in the same hearse and taken to Cedar Rest cemetery, where they were laid away within the keeping of mother earth, the last resting place marked with a high and wide bank of flowers. The funeral was one of the largest ever seen here, noted as The Echo went to press.

Horace Whitfield was a son of E. Van Whitfield, originally of Flat Top, and Mrs. Angeline Moran Whitfield (deceased), brother of Rufus Whitfield of Creole, Miss., Mr. G.Y. Whitfield of Biloxi, and Mrs. M.J. Dodd of Biloxi. He is also survived by his wife, who, before her marriage was Mrs,. Marie Redding of Bay St. Louis, but originally of Hazlehurst, Georgia, and three boys and one girl.

Jack Whitfield was born in Bay St. Louis May 9, 1924, and only last Monday had celebrated his 8th birthday. He was the second boy of the family and attended the local city schools and was a bright pupil.

Source: Sea Coast Echo