Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1914-10-16
KILLED BY
BATTED BALL
Eddie Gray, Of Riverton, Fatally In
jured When Struck by Ball Batted
by R. R. Belcher
AFFLICTED WITH HEART TROUBLE
Mr.. BeIcher Exonerated From All
Blame For the Accident

Ten-year- old Eddie Gray, the
son of Mr.. and Mrs. Frank Gray,
was struck over the heart during
the recess period of the Riverton
school Tuesday afternoon by bat
ted ball and was almost instantly
killed. The ball was batted by
X. X. Belcher, former resident
here and proprietor of the Utopia
theater. The ball was not the hard
regulation ball and was not batted
hard, and the fatality was largely
due to the fact that the boy was
afflicted with weak heart. Resi-
dents of Riverton. and those ac-
quainted with the facts have exon
Grated Mr.. Belcher from all blame
in the matter, as the accident was
not the result of any carelessness
or thoughtlessness on his part.
Riverton is on the Spokane Inter
national railway about rs miles
west of here.
The accident is explained in de-
tail in letter Mr.. Belcher wrote
Frank Pike which was received
yesterday. Mr.. Belcher wrote in
part as follows:
AT the afternoon recess the boys
were playing ball and the entire
school and my wife and myself
were watching them. They had
divided sides but were having
trouble catching the ball, and |
walked over and caught for both
sides. Edward Gray was playing
second base and l had thrown sew
eral balls to him and he had sue
ceeded in stopping most of them
and was feeling very proud over 1t.
When the boys were changing
sides l picked up the bat, intend
ing to hit the ball and let one of
them run it out around the bases
while I went to ring the bell as it
was almost school time. Maurice
threw the ball and / met it with
the bat, not hard, but the ball
sailed through the air on leve, of
about IS or 10 feet and struck lit
tie Edward, who was coming in
from second base, just over the
heart. / had not seen him until
the ball struck him, l believe it
killed him almost instantly. He
did not cry out, never uttered a
word or sound, but stood there
and raised both of his little hands
to his breast. l dropped the bat
and hurried over to him, talking to
him as l went. When l got there
/ saw he could not get his breath,
SO / took him by the arms and
shook him until he caught it. Then
his whole body seemed to relax
and he leaned forward against me,
his head fell forward, his knees
bent and he started to slip to the
ground. l picked him up and
carried him to the school house
porch and started the arm move
ment to induce respiration while
two others chaffed his limbs. l
used camphor, cold water, rum,
stood him on his head and did ev-
erything l knew but it was no use.
/ kept the respiration up for an
hour by artificial methods, but we
could not get his heart started. We
worked over him for nearly two
hours. God, it was awful. He
never uttered a word but looked
up into my eyes with such panied
surprised expression. He was ten
years old and had just started to
school a week ago Monday. He
has always been afflicted with heart
trouble, they say. know if that
ball had struck any other boy in
the school it would have done no
damage"
The bereaved parents have the
entire sympathy of the neighbor-
hood of Riverton and this sy1npa-
thy is also extended to Mr.. and
Mrs. Belcher, who. it goes without
saying, are almost Frustrated over
the terrible accident.
The funeral services were held
at the Riverton school house al
1920 o'clock yesterday morning
aud weye conducted in the presence
of lse mourning relatives and sym