The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1907-06-28
PIERCED HER NECK
Edith GausewitZ Shot Dead
BY Her Brother.
ACCIDENT NEAR OWAT0NNA
Victim Was Daughter of State Sena-
tor; Pleasure Party Thrown
Into State of Gloom.

4
the Lindesmith stone quarry short dis
lance from Clinton Falls, at which time
Miss Edith Gausewitz, daughter of Mr..
and Mrs. William Gausewitz, was acct
dentally shot in the neck by bullet
from twenty-five caliber rifle in the
hands of her brother, Alfred, with fatal
result, the unfortunate young lady pass
ing away ten minutes afterward.
The dead girl, accompanied by her
friend and almost constant companion,
Miss Gladys Truman, and two boys, one
her brother, Alfred Gausewitz, and the
other John Tomberg, left their respec-
tive homes in this city early Thursday
! morning intending to 60 to the stone
quarry, located about four miles north
of this city, near the Straight river and
not very far from Clinton Falls, to pass
the day picnicking and fishing. AS is
the usual custom on an occasion of this
kind, the boys took their guns with
them, twenty-five caliber rifles, intend
ing to enjoy little target shooting.
The party arrived at the quarry in
safety and spent some time fishing. At
little after twelve o'clock the two girls
started to prepare lunch for the party
and were engaged in this occupation
when the unfortunate accident occurred.
Master Tomberg was with the girls at
the time but Alfred Gausewitz went
into the woods to shoot for few min
utes before dinner. The girls had al
ready spread the dinner cloth on the
ground and were placing the picnic dim
ner upon it when Alfred appeared COM
ing toward the party with the rifle in
his hand. He was swinging the gun from
side to side about his body while APP
preaching and had evidently forgotten
that it was loaded. When short dis
lance from the other three members of
the party, possibly from ten to fifteen
feet, the rifle was accidentally discharg-
ed, the bullet striking Edith in the left
side of the neck just to the right of
the collar bone. The young lady was
in sitting position at the time and
when the bullet struck her cried out.
Seeing that she was hurt the other
members of the party ran to her assis-
lance and asked her if she thought She
could walk to the house. She answered
that she thought she could and the 9th
ers Immediately assisted her to her feet
whereupon she attempted to walk but
had only taken a few steps when she
sank to the ground and inside of few
minutes passed away.
Medical assistance was Immediately
telephoned for by the other members of
the party from the Lindesmith home
and dostors arrived upon the scene just
after the girls death. An examination
showed that the bullet had entered the
feshy part of the left side of the neck,
just missing the collar bone and had
either penetrated the left common car
otid artery or the aorta, the large ar
terry from the heart. This made a fatal
wound and the unfortunate young lady
bled to death in a very short time.
The body was Immediately placed in
charge of an undertaken and brought to
the home on south Cedar street as rap
idlv as possible. Her kind and SYM
pathetic friends comforted the family as
much as possible under the terrible cir
cumstances.
What makes the accident especially
distressing is the fact that Mr.. and Mrs.
Gausewitz, the parents of the little girl,
were both out of the city when it oc-
Cured, having gone to st. Paul where
Mr.. Gausewitz is attending the annual
meeting of the state pharmacists as
ISOLATION. He was reached by telephone
and the news broken as gently as posi-
BILE.
1t is very likely that no accident has
caused so deep wave of sorrow to
pass over the community as the above.
The young lady was known to almost
every one in the city. She was between
fourteen and fifteen years of age and
next to the youngest child of Mr.. and
Mrs. Gausewitz, Alfred being the young
est. Bright, happy and cheerful, of
quiet disposition, the young lady was
beloved by all. Her sudden and un-
timely taking away at so tender an age,
esteemed by all who knew her and
deeply loved by her parents, brothers
and sisters, is a severe shock to all.
The immediate members of the
family left to mourn her loss are her
parents, two sisters and two brothers,
namely Leila, who is assistant librarian
of the Owatonna public library; Adelia,
Alfred, and William HI. Gausewitz of
Minneapolis.
Alfred, the young brother who held
the rife which caused the tragedy,
r