Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1911-09-22
FRANK GOURD IS KILLED.
8. s. Durham Strikes Him
on Head With Club
in a Row !
N INDICTED E FOR MAAsuuGhTFR
Durham Claims Self De-
fenss--Affair Took :Plhaes
at Buddo Lake r F.

F.. L. 9ourd Of .ClOugh, better Known
locally as "',Wboopeo,' died: Sunday
morning at Z o'clock, due to a blow
over tho head struck by s. 5. Dur:
hama brother.in-law the evening be.
fore. claimed to pe in self defense.
A party composed Of John 'Tindell Of
Fl. Ripley. Eber Clark and =. s. Dur.
ham Of Clough and Louis McCoTmicA
of Excelsior were on q fishing trip tC
Budne lake, and were joined Saturday
evening by F. l.. Gourd. and John
Fuller, both of Clough.
1t is stated that the men were argu-
ing about different matters when
Fuller, who was intoxicated, became
engaged in an argument with NC
Cormick. who struck him in the eye
while he was lying down, Whereupon
Gourd interferred. He and Mccormick
then had an alteration and 1T 10 sald
Gourd held an open knife. Durham
came between them and Gourd put the
knife away and picked up a Cup ABOUT
eight feet long and struck Durham
once or twice, the stick breaking. Dur
nam picked up one of the broken pieces
and struck Gourd over the left side OF
the head, he falling in a heap I'M
conscious. He came to a short time
after and asked them to send for q
doctor. The injured mar Was taken
into the tent and remained unconscious
until he died. The reason for not
sending for medical aid IS, it is said,
that they did not think the injury bad
and that as Gourd was rather in
toxicated, be would come out alright.
Coroner Chance was sent for shortly
after his death, and On his arrival
there no one spoke Of a quarrel, and
the doctor was led to believe that
death resulted from natural causes as
no had prescribed for the dead man
some time previous, and returned to
the city.
Later in the day, however. he was
'phoned to 60 up and lnvest1gate rne
matter more thoroughly, as there had
been some trouble at the camp the
evening before and that there was q
bruise on the mans head. The coroner,
sheriff and county attorney with some
others went to the Gourd nome to
which place the aedy a been re.
moved, and the above version OF the
affair was given-slightly dlharlng-
by Durham and Clark. durham and
Mccormick were arrested and brought
GOWN Cu0 eduuo UASuts ono OeA~A "As
nesses of the tragedy coming down
Monday. to appear as witnesses before
the grand jury. Mccormick was
brought down as q witness. Durham
will offer a plea of sel f-defense.
A post mortem on the body was held
Monday morning at the Simonet NOR
que aDd showed that Gourd was hit
about three inches above the ear on
the right side of the head, the blow
breaking a blood vessel and forming q
clot back Of and below the left eye.
There was no fracture Of the skull.
As will be noted in another column,
Durham was indicted by the grand
jury for manslaughter in the first de-
gree. -,
Mr.. Gourd, who is said to be a full!
blood Cherokee indian, was ~ years Of
age and came to Clough from Okla
homa, about three years ago. AMI he
sides his " widow, leaves five children,
Mrs. r. l.. Hall. Stella, Charles, Lex
and Harris 9ourd. The Durham
family also moved to Clough tow
about the same time from Lake Mime
tonka. Mrs. Gourd and Mrs. Dur
ham are sisters.
The rema,ns of the late Mr.. Gour.
were taken back to the home in Clougl
and the funeral was held Wednesday a
Randall, Rev. w. H. North officiating