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Show SON OF FORMER SPRINGVILLE I COUPLE MEETS DEATH WITH PLAYMATE IN PROVO SAND William Thomas, 10, and Billie Brown, 9, Are Buried Alive When Sand Bank Caves In; Searchers Find Bodies. The lives of two small Provo boys were snuffed out late Wednesday afternoon, when an embankment cave-in buried them under several tons of fine sand. The youngsters were playing in a sand pit near the southwest corner of the Provo city cemetery when the tragic accident occurred. They were William Thomas, 10, son of Edward and Annie An-nie 'I nomas, 564 South Seventh East, and Charles William. (Billy) Brown, son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Brown, 704 East Fourth South. Both were pupils of the Maeser school. . Parents Start Search The accident occurred some time between 4 o'clock Wednesday afternoon and 2 a. m. Thursday of last week, when tho bodies,-still warm, 'were found after an all-night search by the parents, neighbors and members of the Provo police lepartment. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas had gone to Thistle Wednesday : afternoon and returned about 7 o'clock. Not finding Willie around the neighborhood, they supposed he had gone to a picture show. However, Mr. Thomas immediately began inquiries in-quiries and learned that Mr. Brown, an employee of Pacific-States Pacific-States Cast Iron Pipe company, was out on a simiUir mission. Finding no trace of the boys after the last shows were over, the police department was notified and Officer Bert Ilalladay, accompanied by Ike Palmer, grandfather of the Brown boy, Paul Brown, and Lee Crawford, a neighbor, started out on an extensive search. Mr. Brown had previously gone to the sand mounds, where a group of children had played around a bonfire Tuesday Tues-day evening. He had also made a trip to the home of the grandparents in Springville. He told the officer of his former for-mer visit to the pits and they went there again. They found a fresh cavein in the largest pit from which sand is being hauled by the Pipe Plant. Digging about a foot of the loose sand -away, the Brown child's foot was uncovered, and the body, which was still warm, was hurriedly removed. It was lying flat along the wall of the embankment. Farther in near quite a large hole the boys are thought to have dug, the body of Willie. Thomas was found in a stooping position. Assistance was given the search-A ing party by a little daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Charles M. Smith, who saw the boys going toward the sand pits about 4 o'clock Wednesday Wednes-day at'ternon. In. addition to the parents the Thomas child is survived by two brothers, Edwin, 3, and Gerald, 1. The family moved jto Provo in November, 1929, from Tabiona, Duchesne county. Funeral ai range-mrnts range-mrnts had not been arranged, late today. Billy Brown, a son of Mrs. Brown by a former marriage, is survived by his parents, one sister, the grandparents, Mr, and Mrs. rko Blown of Springville, and Mr. and Mrs. Ike Palmer of Provo. The body Is in charge of a -Springville mortician, and funeral services will, in all probability, be held in the Springville Fourth ward, Sunday Sun-day afternoon. The Browns moved to-Provo from Springville last December. |