Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1915-01-04

WithcNt word of warning Elmer
Bacon, the lT.yeor.old son of Elva Ba
con, who resides on small tract Of
land about three miles west of Liberty,
was shot at about 1880 this morning
from the thick underbrusd near where
he was cutting wood Blasius Grasser,
rceluse, who resides in that vicinity,
confessed to the crime, according TO
sheriff Esch, N:,o went to the scene
Of the crime with DR.. c. II. Robinson
as soon as it was reported. No charge
has been preferred against Grasser, who
is now in the county jail, pending the
outcome of the boy S injury, but Sheriff
Esch is of the opinion that murder in
the first degree will be the charge.
The gun used was a lg.gauge shotgun
with No. 6 shot The boys left eye
was shot out and several of the pellets
entered his brain. His left lung was
punctured and torn beyond all hopes of
recovery, according to tho doctor. The
boy Lost consciousness soon after his
father reached his side and will be
brought to this city today in an ambul.
ance if it is possible to move him.
The boy and his father have been
cutting wood on the Jayes tract near
their home The JayGs tract adiOins
Grassers tract, which corners with au.
other tract belonging to Newton Ander.
scn, which they had been in the habit
Of crossing to reach the timber. The
trail was through the thick brush and
crossed the fence at the corner Of the
three tracts Of land. The bay was shot
as he climbed upon the fence and he
fell back upon the Anderson land. His
father was following close behind the
boy and heard him scream as the shot
was fired. He rushed TO the boy s side,
bat ,he boy did not know who shot him
or where the shot came from. The
brush was so thick that the father did
not see anyone who might have fired
tac shot
With this slender evidence Sheriff
E3ch began the search for the assailant.
The neighbors did not know Of any
trouble in the neighborhood nor did any
Of them think that Grasser would kill
anyone. The sheriff found some tres.
pass notices on Grasser $ land which
they said mad been put up only last
saturday. Sheriff Esch began to sus.
pect Grasser and, searching down the
fence, found tracks about 90 yards from
the place whore the hoy fell. He fol.
lowed these tracks to Grasser S house
aud then to the place where Grasser
was cutting wood Grasser denied all
knowledge Of the crime but accompan.
led the officer to his house, where the
officer secured the gun and some Of tae
shells On the way out to the rlp
Grasser admitted to the officer that he
shot someone about dusk that morning
He said he did not know who it was
nor whether he hit him or not. He ex
pressed no concern in the matter MOI
did he ask how badly the wmnded boy
was nurt. He gave no motive for the
shooting and did not seem to care how
the affair turned out.
Sheriff Escb stated this morning thai
the prosecution was particularly for
tunate in securing the confession OF
Grasser as II would have been prac
tically impossible to have found thu
murderer on the slender evidence thai
was found in the vicinity Of the crime
The neighborhood is a quiet one ant
there are no feuds apparent and non.
Of the people interviewed could attrib
ute any possible motive for the crime
Grasser broke down when told Of thr
death Of young Bacon in the count,
iail this afternoon and bitterly repentef
his action, and for the first time talk
ed freely Of his crime beyond the bar,
admission Of the deed. He said that ht
did not shoot to kill and did not ever
have the gun to his shoulder when h,
fired the shot which caused the death
oe his victim. lie said he shot from
the hip in the thick brush and did mo-
think that he killed the boy and tha
he shot merely to scare him.