Porky

The news story and the family's letter · complete and verbatim

The Daily Sentinel clippings — transcription record

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Fruitvale Boy, 12, Dies On Electric Fence; Fourth Tragic Occurrence For Square Mile Area Within Week

Three Persons Injured When Auto Goes Into Ditch Saturday Afternoon; Bodies of Mother and Two Boys Not Located and Search Called Off When River Rises and Is Filled with Floating Debris, Endangering Boats

A 12-year-old Fruitvale boy died Saturday afternoon on a neighbor's 110-volt electric fence.

The body of Paul Brown was discovered at 3 p. m. lying across the fence in a muddy field about 1,000 feet from his home.

He was found by his mother and stepfather, Mr. and Mrs. Gail Wilcox, and neighbors. They had started a search for him after he did not return home from a trip across the field to lock the headgate of a ditch.

Efforts by a relative, William Halloway, to revive him by artificial respiration failed. Grand

Junction firemen called to the scene with a resuscitator said the boy apparently had been dead some time when he was found.

The boy's death was the fourth tragic occurrence this week for a square-mile area in Fruitvale and its residents.

Monday afternoon Robert Wilkerson, 12, was shot in the abdomen by a stray bullet just west of the place where Paul died.

Thursday a mother and her two sons, Mrs. Birdie Billingsley and Pat and Bill Mullens, who lived just south of the Wilcoxes, were drowned in the Gunnison

River. Their bodies have not been recovered.

Saturday afternoon about an hour after Paul's body was found three persons were injured in an accident on U. S. 6-24 a half mile east of Fruitvale School.

Sheriff E. E. Redmon said he was told that Paul left home about 1 p. m. to lock the headgate. His parents believed he had stopped to play when he failed to return.

Shortly before 3 p. m. Mr. and Mrs. Wilcox became worried over his absence and went to the headgate. Finding that it had not been locked, they searched along the canal briefly and were starting across the field along the fence when they sighted the body.

The fence was on property belonging to E. A. Egger just north of the Wilcox home. The field had been recently irrigated and was wet and muddy.

Firemen James Willden and Orville P. Hannigan said it appeared the barefooted youngster slipped and fell into the fence as he ran toward the canal. His body was badly cut from the barbed wire fence, they said, as tho he had struggled to free himself.

Sheriff Redmon said one strand of the fence was hooked into a 110-volt house socket. He said Mr. Egger told him that a 40-watt bulb was screwed into the same socket "as a safety factor." Mr. Egger said the hookup had been examined by an electrician, who believed it was safe.

Deputy Coroner Sherwood Snyder said it had not been determined if an inquest would be held. The body was taken to Martin's Mortuary.

FATAL ERRAND — Paul Brown, 12, of Fruitvale (inset) was electroc urday afternoon in this field just south of the Gr nue road and east of the new classification yard. The arrow points to where the boy's body was found. In the background is the boy's home. ently slipped and fell against the fence as he ran along it to lock a headg irrigation canal (foreground). Daily Sentinel photo.

Paul was born July 29, 1940 in Great Falls, Mont. He had lived in Grand Junction and the surrounding area most of his life. He was an only child.

The boy finished sixth grade at Fruitvale School and would have entered junior high school this fall. He was a member of the Church of God. His stepfather is an independent building contractor.

Letters.... TO THE EDITOR

Grand Junction, Colo. June 19, 1953

Walter Walker, Publisher The Daily Sentinel

Dear Sir:

We are so sorry that there has been undue grief caused to all concerned by articles and reports on the circumstances surrounding the electrocution of our boy at Fruitvale. We would like to clear up any misunderstanding.

The accident occurred on Saturday and the fence was immediately disconnected. It remained so until Monday morning when it was necessary that some kind of restraint be placed for the animals. The 40-watt bulb (which allows amperage three times more than the body can stand) had been in use at the time of the accident. It was replaced with a 7 1/2 watt bulb which is well within the safety factor.

Those making the test Monday used again the 40 watt bulb, and the impression was left that the fence was still operating in the same condition as at the time of the accident.

As soon as he possibly could make other arrangements, Mr. Egger completely removed the fence, posts and all. We feel no malice toward our good neighbor.

In memoriam to our only child and for protection of other children, we are endeavoring to introduce legislation that a safety device which will control the amperage of electric fences be required in all units.

Sincerely,

MR. AND MRS. GAIL WILCOX Route 5