The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-11-05
|SAD END OF A HUNTING TRIP
GEORGE STELZLE ACCIDENTALLY
 SHOT AND KILLED HIMSELF.

man CitiZcn-Prominent in German So-
 cieties-Circumstances ofthe Tragedy.
 George Stelzle, proprietor of the East Rock hotel and bottling establishment at 90S State street, accidentally shot and killed himself yesterday afternoon while hunting in North Haven in the woodland, near the Air Line tracks, owned by Henry Frost.
 MT. Stelzle was accompanied on the hunting trip by G. Blinderbacher of this city and Louis Uhl, postmaster at North Haven. The gentlemen had ar ranged for an all-the-afternoon hunt, and as MT. Stelzle was known as one of the best shots in the city some good sport with plenty of game bagged, was expected. As the men entered the woods they were obliged to climb a fence, and as MT. Stelzle's gun was easily discharged, as good sportsmen usually arrange their guns, he was cau- toned by his companions to be careful, and MT. Blinderbacher was at one tune much alarmed when Mr Stelzle while climbing the fence inadvertently turn ed the muzzle towards him.
 Entering the woods, MT. Uhl and MT. Blindermacher continued on over llt- tie rise of ground, while MT. Stelzle concluded to skirt around at one side of the hill. The two kept on over the hill, not meeting with much success III their lookout for game. They occasion ally heard shots in the direction which MT Stelzle had taken, and supposed that he was having good luck. It was 2 o'clock when the unfortunate man was separated from his companions.
 Finally about 3:15 o'clock, they con- cluded that they would walk in the d1- rection in which MT. Stelzle had gone and try to find him to see what he had bagged. After walking some distance, however, and hearing shots back of them near where they had entered the woods, they started back that way and finally arrived at the place where they had entered not having seen anything of Stelzle. Just as they reached the edge of the woods they heard a shot near by and started to walk in that direction. They soon came to small, | clear space free from brush wood, and as they pushed through the brush at | the edge and started across the small clearing they were suddenly arrested | by a terrible sight which met their eyes. i There, at the opposite side of the lit i tie clear space, just under the low | boughs of a cedar, lay MT. Stelzle in a patch of blood-dyed grass, and beside | him his gun, broken open as if about to | be loaded. About ten feet away lay his
 cap. MT. Stelzle lay on his right side. Mortified, his friends rushed to him,
 but saw at a glance that he was be-
 yond human aid His face was torn and mangled and the chin had been
 completely blown off. MT. Uhl hastened
 to get assistance and went to the house I of John Kintzenhacker not far away. A messenger was dispatched to Dr. | Goodyear, medical examiner of Orange, | and MT Uhl and MT. Kintzenhacker re- i turned to the scene of the tragedy. | A wagon was finally secured from | Charles Barnes and after the medical
 examiner had viewed the body it was | taken to the New Haven town line,
 where a wait was necessary while a
 permit to remove the body from the town of North Haven was secured from
 the town clerk. The body was then re-
 moved to the undertaking rooms of
 Theodore Keller & Son on Orange | street
 It was stated by one of the men who | arrived at the scene of the accident | shortly after the body was discovered
 that it was still warm and that MT. 1 Stelzle had evidently been dead but a
 short time. The same gentleman also
 said that no empty shot shell could be
 found near the body, but that loaded
 shell was found by the gun, which lay
 on the ground, broken up at the breech, | both chambers empty.
 It is possible that when the gun | dropped from MT. Stelzles hand the | breech opened and the two shells in the | chambers fell out, one of which, prob-
 ably the empty one, rolled into the
 grass and weeds out of sight.
 l The body when found lay just under | the outer part of some low hanging | branches and it was evident that in 1 pushing from the little clearing into the 1 brush the trigger of the gun caught on the ends of the branches, exploding the shell. Medical Examiner Goodyear
 of North Haven gave a certificate of | death by accidental shooting.
 l MT. Stelzle was nearly forty-nine years of age, and next Tuesday would
 have been his birthday. He was born
 in Wurtemburg, Germany, and came
 to this country about thirty-two years l ago. Before coming to this city he worked for some time in Cincinnati and
 in New York. When he came to New 1 Haven he entered the employ of the Hale carriage manufacturers as l blacksmith, and after worked in Hook | CTS, remaining with that company un- | til he went into the saloon business, | fourteen years ago. He leaves a widow
 and four children, three boys and one 1 girl. The boys are Charles, Frederick | and George Stelzle. The daughter is | Sophia Stelzle. He also leaves two
 brothers, Joseph, who lives in New
 York. and Andrew in Cincinnati. Jack Stelzle of the Baltimore baseball team l was a nephew.
 | MT. Stelzle was prominent in the Ger
 man societies of New Haven. having
 been member of Humboldt lodge. [