Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-10-14

A day that to them promised all the
delights of true sportsman closed
last Saturday with three young hunt
ers lying in q watery grave. The sad
story OF fatal hunting trip has been
repeated from lip to lip in the COM
munity and yet the true facts still re-
main to be told. Palmer Telstad.
aged Is; Allyn Birch, aged Is; and
Arthur Cramer, aged IA, now lie cold
in death, and the agonizing grief of
the fathers and mothers, as we'll as
other loved ones who are united by
family ties, can better be imagined
than described. The entire community
mourns as one common family the un-
timely death of these three young men
who are SO suddenly taken away.
Little did they realize how in a few
short hours their lives would be
blotted out beneath the surface of the
waters upon whose shores they had
enjoyed q mornings hunt.
What had transpired all day Satur-
day and up to late Sunday morning
regarding this fatal affair was not
known to many outside of the party
of hunters and the anxious ones at
home until the summons came about
ten O'Clock on Sunday forenoon for q
relief party to institute an organized
search for the missing boys. The bell
at the city hall called our citizens to-
gether just before the hour of the regu-
lar church services approached and
then the awful news quickly spread of
the sad calamity that had befallen the
party of three hunters and how fears
were entertained that all had&s per-
ished in Foot Lake. A boat found
capsized in the middle of the lake
and that identified as the property
used by one Of the hunters indicated
only too plainly that at least one life
had been lost below the surface. This
was the boat belonging to G. A. Birch,
wA1C4 AoO OOSA VcshOA OuU OoI1y 0douI"
day morning by his son Allyn to use
on hunting trip.
It was about five O'Clock that morn
ing when Palmer Telstad and Arthur
Cramer started out on the hunting trip
by foot which terminated on the op-
posite shore from the projecting piece
of land known as Bonde's Point. They
were accompanied by Roy Cramer and
an uncle of the Cramer boys, Mr.. T.
J. Lane, who is visiting here with the
family and whose home is at La Port,
Iowa. A dog belonging to Palmer
Telstad accompanied the party. They
were joined later by Allyn Birch, who
had also started out that morning on
a hunting trip. Allyn had his boat, q
small fat-bottomed one, which was
heavily decked, and had evidently
been shooting not far from shore. A
perfect gale was blowing that morning,
and the lake was very treacherous for
q boat of that kind, so he had not
ventured very far out. He had six
tin decoys with him besides other re-
quisites for q successful mornings
hunt. He had succeeded in bringing
down some ducks, faring better than
the other hunters who had been on the
shore. .~,.
Mr.. Lane, the uncle of the Cramer
boys, says that 1t WAS about eight
O'Clock when he and his nephew Roy
started to return home, as the latter
compl aimed OF being cold and it WAS
then time for the family breakfast.
Az the hunters had had an early
breakfast, they remained to enjoy the
snort until noon. The last seen OF
Arthur Cramer and Palmer Telstad,
NJ. Lane says, VS. when he LETT them
sitting in bunch Of weeds, waiting
I,,s,d a. ducks. none Of which they had
vat succeeded II shooting. Each had
j. cnn and was fully equipped for thea
sport. Arthur had made
~ remark that morning that he WAS
determined 10 bring home g least :
anck for his aunt for dinner.
a none Of the hunters were ex- .
,,a,,,*ad home before dinner, nothing
!, -tbar vas thought Of Il. But when
4. 4, air dinner hour arrived and It grew
l.ta Il the afternoon some anxiety NM vas
az 81 the paren... Mr TESTED ~
ilop m .rriyed home alone early e .ne
. .rs .ttsrnoon - and this looked rather sns- ts|
n,c,oua. Mr. Birch had expected n1s g.
,on home q noon 90 g g ss.ls -. =
. 4, 4, q !. - dinner On : hunting rip g