A Tragic Afternoon at Laurel Shade
A two-year-old child drowns while playing at a Lake Washington resort despite a frantic rescue attempt by his older brother.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Ernest Scullin, the 2-year-old son of Patrick Scullin, owner of the Laurel Shade resort at Lake Washington, was drowned last evening at 8 o'clock. The child, who was a favorite with everyone who lives on the lake at that point, was missed at 7:30 o'clock, and his parents, assisted by their 12-year-old son Arthur, began searching for him. At 8 o'clock Arthur saw his little brother floating in the lake, and without hesitating, he sprang in after him. Willing hands pulled the brave boy and his lifeless burden ashore. The child was carried into the house and a telephone message sent to town for Dr. R. M. Davis. When the doctor arrived it was too late to resuscitate the little fellow, although every means known was resorted to.
“At 8 o'clock Arthur saw his little brother floating in the lake, and without hesitating, he sprang in after him.”
Lake Washington remains a central part of Seattle life today, though the once-common private resorts like Laurel Shade have long since given way to public parks and residential waterfront. The tragedy reflects the constant, often fatal, proximity to the water that defined life for early lakeside settlers.
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