The Sunday Gazetteer
Sunday, June 20, 1897
pg. 1

SAD ACCIDENT
T.E. King, cashier of the Greenville National Bank, and 2 ladies, Miss Katy Austin, a milliner of Greenville, and Miss Ida Schenck of Sherman, were drowned in a pool at King's pasture, near Greenville, Wednesday night about 11 o'clock.  Fred Norsworth was with the party and tried to resuce them, but without avail, and came very near drowning himself.  When he reached the bank he fainted and was insensible, he thinks, about an hour.  As soon as he recovered, he gave the alarm.  The bodies were recovered.
King was also vice-president of the Sherman, Shreveport and Southern railway, and a director of the M.K. & T. railway company of Texas, and is estimated to have been worth a million dollars.

Taylor County News
Abilene, Taylor County, Texas
Friday, June 25, 1897

On Wednesday night of last week T. H. King of Greenville, Texas, and two ladies were drowned in a pool on King's ranch near Greenville.

Taylor County News
Abilene, Taylor county, Texas
Friday, June 25, 1897 

The Greenville Drowning
On Wednesday night of last week T.H. King of Greenville,Texas, and  two ladies were drowned in a pool on King’s 
ranch near Greenville.

The Dallas News correspondent at Greenville gave the following  statement:
    
At an early hour this morning June 17, 1897 the news was brought to  the city that T.H. King, cashier of the 
First National bank, and Miss  Kate Austin of this city and Miss Ida Schenck of Sherman had been drowned during 
the night in a pool on Mr.King’s ranch, six miles northeast of town.
The news was brought by Fred Norsworthy, bookkeeper of the bank, who  had been with them all the time of the
sad occurrence. This was between 12 and 1 o’clock this morning. Help went at once to the pool and Miss Austin
was floating on the surface and was brought to the shore. A boat and grappling irons were sent for and by morning
the other bodies were brought up. The pool is about 12 feet deep at the place of the drowning.
The three bodies reached town about 8 o’clock. Mr. King’s body was embalmed and put in a casket. The funeral
will probably be on Saturday, as his brother near Abilene cannot reach here before Friday  night. The body of Miss
Austin will be sent to Missouri for burial and that of Miss Schenck to her family in Sherman.
Fred Norsworthy made a statement for the inquest this morning:
Mr. King and Norsworthy rode out last evening to the ranch, and as they got there they met the two young ladies
just driving out to come home, they having driven out in Miss Austin’s buggy. Mr. King invited  them to return to
the ranch and spend the evening, which they did.  After a lunch at the house they walked out to the pool, and as the
moon came up it was suggested they should bathe. Norsworthy went to the upper end of the pool and put on a bathing 
suit to try if the  water was warm. He swam across and said it was warm, so the ladies retired and put on bathing 
suits and Mr. King did the same. They went  into the water, Mr. King and Miss Austin together in a few minutes
he  heard Mr. King screaming, “Fred! Fred!” and saw them struggling in  the deep water. He told Miss Schenck to stay
where she was and started for Mr. King. Before reaching them they sank, As they came up  he caught Mr. King by his 
finger tips, but this hand slipped off,and  still calling “Fred! Fred!” they sank for the last time.
Norsworthy was overcome and as he stood there Miss Schenck probably dazed by fright, fell on him and pushed 
him down, when he became unconscious and does not know how she was drowned, but no doubt as he fell she pitched
over into the deep water and was drowned.
Norsworthy, when he came to himself, got out, and dressing rode to town and gave the alarm. He was in a crazed
condition all night under  the charge of two men but this morning recovered and gave the above story.
Mr. King was the wealthiest man in Greenville, being estimated as  worth $1,500,000. He owned large amounts of
property in this city, including the beautiful King opera house, and had 400,000 acres of  black land near here,
on part of which the tragedy occurred, besides ranch and cattle interests in the western part of the state. He was
interested in nearly every business enterprise of the town, and has thousands of friends, who will miss him. He 
leaves a wife [Mrs.Virginia King], a daughter and two sons.
[T.H. King was buried in Greenville, Texas with the funeral  officiated by Rev. E.H. Casey. For more information
see the Greenville Messenger, Friday, 25 June 1897]

The Dallas News correspondent at Greenville gave the following statement:

At an early hour this morning 17 June 1897 the news was brought to the city that T. H. King, cashier of the First National bank, and Miss Kate Austin of this city and Miss Ida Schenck of Sherman had been drowned during the night in a pool on Mr. King's ranch, six miles northeast of town.

The news was brought by Fred Norsworthy, bookkeeper of the bank, who had been with them all the time of the sad occurrence. This was between 12 and 1 o'clock this morning. Help went at once to the pool and Miss Austin was floating
on the surface and was brought to the shore. A boat and grappling irons were sent for and by morning the other bodies were brought up. The pool is about 12 feet deep at the place of the drowning.

The three bodies reached town about 8 o'clock. Mr. King's body was embalmed and put in a casket. The funeral will probably be on Saturday, as his brother near Abilene cannot reach here before Friday night. The body of Miss Austin will be sent to Missouri for burial and that of Miss Schenck to her family in Sherman. 

Fred Norsworthy made a statement for the inquest this morning:

Mr. King and Norsworthy rode out last evening to the ranch, and as they got there they met the two young ladies just driving out to come home, they having driven out in Miss Austin's buggy. Mr. King invited them to return to the ranch and spend the evening, which they did.  After a lunch at the house they walked out to the pool, and as the moon came up it
was suggested they should bathe. Norsworthy went to the upper end of the pool and put on a bathing suit to try and see if the water was warm. He swam across and said it was warm, so the ladies retired and put on bathing suits and Mr. King did the same. They went into the water, Mr. King and Miss Austin together; in a few minutes he heard Mr. King screaming, "Fred! Fred!" and saw them struggling in the deep water. He told Miss Schenck to stay where she was and started for Mr. King. Before reaching them they sank.  As they came up, he caught Mr. King by his finger tips, but his hand slipped off, and still calling "Fred! Fred!" they sank for the last time.

Norsworthy was overcome and as he stood there Miss Schenck probably dazed by fright, fell on him and pushed him down, when he became unconscious and does not know how she was drowned, but no doubt as he fell she pitched over into the deep water and was drowned.

Norsworthy, when he came to himself, got out, and dressing rode to town and gave the alarm. He was in a crazed condition all night under the charge of two men but this morning recovered and gave the above story.

Mr. King was the wealthiest man in Greenville, being estimated as worth $1,500,000. He owned large amounts of property in this city, including the beautiful King opera house, and had 400,000 acres of black land near here, on part of which the tragedy occurred, besides ranch and cattle interests in the western part of the state. He was interested in nearly every business enterprise of the town, and has thousands of friends, who will miss him. He leaves a wife [Mrs. Virginia King], a daughter and two sons. [T.H. King was buried in Greenville, Texas with the funeral officiated by Rev. E.H. Casey.] 

West Hill Cemetery
Elaine Nall Bay
©2014

If you find any of Grayson County TXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message.