John Albert Callin (1904 - 1914)

Ancestors

Biography

John Albert Callin was born on 8 May 1904 in Texas, and he died on 30 Dec 1914 at age 10 and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Victoria, Victoria County, Texas. His death was reported in The Daily Advocate on 30 Dec 1914.^[1][2][3]

“TWO BOYS SMOTHERED TO DEATH BY LANDSLIDE
“Two boys were smothered to death near Victoria yesterday when a landslide occurred on the west bank of the Guadalupe river and buried them beneath tons of wet sand and clay. The dead are:
“BEAUFORD LIARY HARRIS, 15 years old.
“JOHN CALLIN, aged 12 years.
“The tragedy happened on Mrs. Emile Urban's farm opposite the Rio Vista addition. The boys and their brothers, Eugene Callin and Val Harris, were camping along the river. They had dug a cave in the river bank, and gathered some dry leaves to make a fire. The cave was eight or ten feet deep, and when the landslide occurred the boys who met death were in it. One of the others was near the cave and the fourth was sitting on top of the bank. The boy who was near he [sic]cave was buried up to his waist, but managed to extricate himself with the assistance of the other boy. Then together they ran to the nearest house, George P. Wilden's home, three-eights of a mile away, to give the alarm. Soon Dr. F.R. Williams and about eight other men were on the scene and went to work with picks and shovels to rescue the boys who had been buried. The accident happened at 4:45 p.m. and an hour later, 5:45 p.m., their dead bodies had been recovered. Dr. Williams is of the opinion that they died about twenty minutes after they were buried. “Beauford Liary Harris was a son of Mr. and Mrs. W.H. Harris. His father is a well known carpenter of this city.
“John Callin was a son of Mr. and Mrs. A. C. Callin. Mr. Callin is a prominent building contractor of this city. He received the sad intelligence of his son's death in St. Louis, and is now on his way home. Both families live in the Green addition to Victoria west of the river. “The double funeral took place this afternoon at 4 o'clock from the family residences. Rev. W. M. Crutchfield, the Methodist minister, conducted the services at the Callin home and Rev. Walter E. Evans, the Baptist Minister, those at the Harris home. The interments were made in adjoining graves in the Evergreen cemetery. The obsequies were among the saddest ever conducted in Victoria.”

Sources

1. ↑ Texas, Death Index, 1903-2000.
2. ↑ Texas, Death Certificates, 1903-1982, Texas Dept of State Health Services; Austin Texas.
3. ↑ U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current, Memorial #58850136.