Multnomah County OR Archives News.....Slain By Playmate September 23, 1904 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/or/orfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Sheron Faynor nitwittwin@hotmail.com July 8, 2008, 9:31 pm Morning Oregonian September 23, 1904 Karl Loewig's Challenge Taken Too Quickly Shot Through The Brain Charles Edelman,Aims At Hatr Offered As Target,But Hits Head- Unwilling Slayer Overpowered With Grief Yesterday afternoon at 3:30 o'clock Karl Loewig,aged 15 years,was riding his wheel along the road near the Fulton car line,below Jones mill. He came upon Charles Edelman,aged 16,and Rudy Metzler,of the same age.Edelman has a 22 caliber rifle in his hands.As young Loewig rode along he tokk his hat from his head,held it to one side and cried to Edelman," See if you can hit this." Edelman raised the gun and fired.The bullet missed the hat and struck Loewig in the back of the head,causing a wound from which he died a few minutes later. Police headquarters were notified of the accident a few minutes after it happened and the patrol was sent to the scene at once.Loewig was dying when the wagon arrived,and passed away before the officers could get him on the stretcher.Coroner Finley was immediately notified by Captain Gritzmacher,and took charge of the remains.Edelman was still on the scene when officers arrives,He was sobbing and protesting that it was all an accident.He told the officers how the accident happened,The only other eye witness was Rudy Metzger,who grabbed the gun and ran away,horrified when he saw Loewig from the wheel.Officers journeyed to this boy's home last night ,and got his story which was the same as told by Edelman. Edelman was taken to the police station in the patrol wagon until the Coroner could make the investigation.He lay in the outer office on a bench,sobbing and suffering greatly.All efforts to quiet him were futile. Edelman and Loewig were playmates and friends,and Edelman stated at the police station last night that he raised the gun and fired on the impulse of the moment when Loewig cried to him to see if he could hit the hat.He stated that he thinks the wheel Loewig was riding lurched to one side as the shot was fired,bringing Loewig's head in line with the bulet.When he saw Loewig raiswe his hands and fall from the wheel he dropped the gun,horrified.He ran to Loewig's side and saw that his playmate was dying.Metzler caught up the rifel and ran home.On the way he told some men in the vicinity of the mill,who ran to the spot indicated and found that Loewig was mortally wounded.These men telephoned the police station and held Edelman until the officers arrived. The ball struck Loewig in the back of the head at the base of the skull and passed to the right.The rifle form which the fatal shot was fired is a common 22 caliber gun such as is used by young boys in shooting birds,and its bullets are not considered serious unless it hits a vital oragn. Karl Loewig was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Adolph Loewig,who live at 291 Water street.Mr.Loewig,who conducts a saloon at the corner of Front and Columbia streets,was notified of his son's death as soon as it occurred.The dead boy was a great favorite among his playmates,who mourn his untimely and tragic death. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/or/multnomah/newspapers/slainbyp34nw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/orfiles/ File size: 3.6 Kb