Doc Stookey (1891 - 1913)

Born 1891 in McDonough County, Illinois

Ancestors

Died 1913 at about age 22 in McDonough County, Illinois

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Biography

"Doc" Stookey of Colchester, a patient at the Peoria State hospital at Bartonville, met death by drowning, Saturday afternoon at 5:30 o'clock, in a pool of water formed by the overflow of the Illinois river, located one mile southwest of the hospital, while trying to escape from attendants in charge of a walking party consisting of eighty male patients.

The body was found at midnight, within 20 feet of where he sank. It was found by Attendant Miller and a fisherman named Cruse.

The young, man's death occurred after one of the most sensational escapes ever made by a patient at the hospital, which was featured by a running fight with attendants and a final plunge into the treacherous pool of murky water in an effort to evade his pursuers. Handicapped by the loss of one leg and a badly crippled hand, the young man was unable to assist himself to any great advantage, but the distance that he had placed between himself and those in pursuit made it impossible for them to reach him in time to save him from drowning. It is believed, however, that he was seized with a cramp shortly after making the fatal plunge, for when thirty feet, from the edge of the pool he was seen to throw up his arms and sink beneath the surface of the water.^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ The Quincy Daily Herald, April 22, 1913

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