The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1898-09-16
HUNTING ACCIDENT ON EAGLE
LAKE SUNDAY.
John B. Bauer's Face Shot Away and
Fred Wenner Gets Seventeen Shot in
His Head and Neck-=-H0w the Gun
Went off Is a Mystery---The Parties
Were Landing from Boat.

A frightful accident happened at
Eagle Lake Sunday, wheteby the
face of one man was mangled and
another man received number Of
shot WOUNDS about his head.
At about quarter TO eight o'clock
Sunday morning, John B. Bauer,
Fred Wenner, Aberhart Klughertz
and August Kurkowski drove to Eagle
Lake to hunt ducks. They took Mr..
Wenner's boat with them and stop
PED at Mr.. Shannahan's farm, at the
north end of the lake. The three
last named parties had been hunting
together frequently before, but Mr..
Bauer had been out with them only
once before, and it was at the solicit
tation Of his brother-in-law, Mr..
Klughertz. that he was in the party
Sunday. Mr.. Kurkowski is a
brother-in-law of MI Wenner.
After the party got on the lake, Mr..
Bauer was put on Buffalo island to
shoot ducks from the shore, and
Messrs. Wenner and Klughertz re-
NAMED In the formers boat, while
Mr.. Kurkowski took one of Mr.. Shan
nahan's boats and remained alone.
Ducks were scarce and the party got
only few mud hens, so 1T was decid'
ed to try hunting on some other lake.
Mr.. Bauer was taken into the boat
with Messrs. Wenner and Klughertz
and rowed the boat to Mr.. Sbanna-
hams landing, while Mr.. Kurkowski
followed 200 yards away. Mr.. WenneI
sat on the front seat and Mr.. Klug-
hertz on the rear seat.
When the boat reached shore, the
water was shallow and it went
aground before reaching dry land.
Mr.. Klughertz did not have rubber
boots on, so it was decided to pull the
boat in further, so that he could go
ashore dry shod. Mr.. Wenner, being
in front, stepped out and was about
to pull the boat when Mr.. Bauer spoke
to him, telling him to go and get the
horse ready and that he Bauer would
pull up the boat. Mr.. Wenner step
ped ahead few PAGES and Mr.. Bauer
took hold of the boat and pulled it up
further on shore. In order to do this,
Mr.. Bauer was stopped over, with his
head in the direction in which the
boat was going. His loaded gun was
resting in the boat, with the butt on
the bottom and the muzzle over the
side.
In some unknown manner Mr..
Bauer's gun was discharged. A charge
of No. and shot struck him under
the chin. little to the left, and tore
straight through his face, coming out
lust below the middle Of his forhead.
Going on, the shot scattered and a
number of the leaden pellets struck
Mr.. Wenner on the head. Mr.. Wen
ner was turning at the moment, and
the shot struck him slightly glanc.
ing blow, the most of them entering
his forehead. Mr.. Bauer dropped
to the ground, but was not unconscious
at any time. MIR. Wenner dropped
the gun which he had been carrying
across his arm, put his hands to his
face and exclaimed that he had been
shot Both men bled profusely. Theii
companions quickly went to their
assistance and brought them back to
Mankato. The accident happened at
about 1l:3O o'clock, and wounded men
reached DR.. Warmers office at about
noon.
DR.. Warner was assisted by Drs
Harrington and Bjelland and by Fred
Day and VIM. Deyling, and the in
iuries were treated and the men taken
to their homes. 1t was found that
Mr.. Bauer was very seriously wounded
The charge of shot shattered the
right cheek bone, tore the nose off.
took away the roof of the mouth and
the palate bone, and knocked out
some of the lower teeth. The under
lip was split open down the left side
across the chin. Bits of bone were