Lynn Little League team to remember drowning victim

LYNN – On Friday night West Lynn American Little League will remember James Taggart, a former player who died in 1967 while trying to rescue a friend in Breeds Pond.Taggart was a typical Curwin Circle kid looking forward to a summer of sunshine, no school and baseball when he went swimming on June 10 with other boys in Breeds Pond. Police, according to Daily Item reports, tried to warn the boys away from the pond that morning without success.Shortly after noon, officers responded to an emergency call and found Taggart, 12, and Lloyd Walker, 11, of Garfield Avenue, drowned.According to Item reports, 12-year-old John Hazard and Taggart were walking by the pond when they heard Walker shout for help about 25 feet from Breeds’ shore. Younger swimmers in the water could not help Walker so Hazard and Taggart swam to their friend’s rescue.Once they reached him, Hazard got a grip on Walker’s swim trunks while Taggart tried to hold Walker up by his neck.”Suddenly both Walker and Taggart disappeared from sight,” read an Item report quoting Hazard.Although he only played a few games with West Lynn in 1967, Taggart hit several home runs and was a star on the Major Tigers. Friends and West Lynn supporters will gather in the Knights of Columbus from 7-11 p.m. to remember him and recognize the heroism that marked his short life.