Tragedy in Ilwaco: A Hunting Accident
A 12-year-old boy accidentally kills his younger brother while showing off a gun after a day of hunting.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
On June 11, Bart Robertson, of Ilwaco, Pacific County, aged 12 years, was returning from a hunt for woodpigeons, and when opposite his home, met his 6-year-old brother, Mort, and four other lads playing. As Bart came up, he flourished the gun and boasted of his ability to whip them all. Mort ran up, playfully placed his hand on his brother’s shoulder and swung him around. Almost simultaneously the gun was discharged, and the little fellow fell dead. The charge struck the chest and shoulder, tearing the collar bone completely through and severing the arteries. Men working in the vicinity arrived to hear the mother’s cries as she learned of the terrible occurrence.
“The little fellow, without a moan, fell dead at his brother's feet.”
This tragic report from the turn of the century mirrors the all-too-frequent reports of accidental gun deaths that continue to shape local news in the Pacific Northwest today.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.