Samuel E. Murray saved S. Doak Halsell from drowning, Bennington, Oklahoma, July 8, 1913. Halsell, 41, who could not swim, and three girls were in a skiff on the Blue River. When the skiff upset, Halsell struggled at a point 25 feet from the bank, where the water was eight feet deep. Murray, 31, barber, ran about 600 feet to the river bank, then swam toward Halsell, who was going beneath the surface. The girls were not in sight. Murray grasped Halsell’s hair and pulled him to the surface. Halsell grasped Murray, and both submerged. Murray caught Halsell’s clothes and, although Halsell continued to struggle, made his way to shallow water. There, Halsell’s struggles became so violent that Murray had difficulty in holding him. Another man reached the scene and helped take Halsell to the bank. Murray suffered a nervous breakdown, and he was disabled two weeks. The girls drowned. 12061-883
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