1937 Newspaper Abstracts

The Weekly Corinthian, July 8, 1937: -

CORINTH LAD
        MISSES DEATH
        -------
Tuesday's Daily.

        An unscheduled and unpremeditated thrill at the Southern Aces air
show at Roscoe Turner airport seized scores of spectators with terror
Monday afternoon when Ottis Mills, of Corinth, had the closest escape
from death a parachute jumper can have.
        Making his first jump, Mills pulled the rip cord of two chutes,
using his emergency chute when the first one failed to open, but the
second chute also failed, and the youthful stunter frenziedly tore the
chute out of its case, to catch himself up from his frightening fall at a
height of little more than 100 feet from the ground.  He escaped with
injuries not more serious than a bruise on his head.
        Observers said Mills had catapulted to the height of some tree
tops by the time the chute was fully extended to check his fall, and that
another ten feet or a split second's time would have meant death.
        Navy Sowell, veteran parachute stunter, watched from the plane
from which Mills had jumped.  Sowell said Mills pulled the rip cord of
the chutes while his body was in the wrong position for the chute's to
open.
        He jumped from the plane at 2,600 feet.  Mills was preparing to
jump at a lower altitude- 2,200 feet- when Herbert Brady, noticing

the altimeter, suggested an additional four hundred feet and Mills agreed
it might be better.  That margin of safety a few seconds later saved his
life.
        Dave Regan, local pilot, was flying the ship from which Mills
jumped.
        Afterwards Mills said he plans to jump again within a short time
in order to banish the fright from his first experience.


The Weekly Corinthian, July 15, 1937: -

        Bill Turner, former Corinthian, now making his home in Oklahoma,
is visiting relatives and friends in Corinth.


September 15, 1937- correspondence with W.H.(Bill) Wren, shows address at
        40 East Oak Street, Chicago, Illinois


Abstracts (c) Copyright 1993 Stephanie L. Sandy

    Data transcription by: Milton Sandy, Jr. Corinth, MS - May 14, 1993