The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1915-04-29
WALTER E. THAYER.
Particulars of Accidental Death of
Former 0ahIander.

Mr.. Walter +. ThaYer, former Oakland
er. and brother of Mr.. Fred A. Thayer,
president of the First National bank
here, is taken:
The friends of the Thayer family and
especially those of W. E. Thayer were
panied and shocked Wednesday after
noon when Ralph. son of Mr.. Thayer,
rode into town and made known to all
who knew him that his father had been
accidently shot and killed at his home
in Dark Canon.
The facts as stated by Ralph are as
follows:
Wednesday morning about $50 Mr.
Thaver started out horseback for his
pasture to feed some old. poor cows.
Ralph and "Punk" Ward started to
hunt saddle horses. A young man nam
ed Columbus Bogetti went to work in
the field hauling away brush that had
been pruned off the orchard. About
O'Clock Bogetti heard shot but as
there had been considerable shooting at
hawks and other varmints around the
ranch he paid no attention to it. About
$3.50 or nine he went to the house for
drink of water there being no water in
the ditch the flood having washed away
the fiume. After getting a drink he
looked down toward the corral and
noticed saddle on the ground and near
1t what appeared to be Mr.. Thayer
stretched out. He went down and upon
examination found that Mr.. Thayer
was dead. He At once saddled a horse
and went to hunt for Ralph having first
covered the body with blanket. Ralph
and Punk came in shortly, or at about
1000 and found Les Davis who had
come in and he started to Queen to
notify the people while he started for
Carlsbad. He managed to ride to
Carlsbad in four hours or less arriving
here at 2 p. m, changing horses six
times on the road. He changed at the
house, then at Hess ranch with Bogetti.
then met MIR. Hamilton who had a
horse leading behind a wagon, then
with Shocks Gordon at the windmill,
then he met Ross Middleton who un-
harnessed work team and rode one
giving Ralph the other and went to
John Cantrell's at the Byrne place
where they changed and came to town.
Ralph stated that his father was rid
ing horse that was very mean and
much of fool about a gun and that
the winchester that had been in scab-
bard was lying about four feet from his
fathers body. The shot from the win
chester entered the left nipple and
came out under the right shoulder
blade, showing that Mr.. Thayer must
have grabbed for the gun in some way
either while the horse was pitching or
after it was thrown out of the scabbard
and the gun was discharged the bullet
striking as stated.
The inquest, which was held by E. R.
Lyon the justice Of the peace of the
Queen precinct, was to the effect that
the deceased came to his death by
bullet from a 1890 winchester acct
dentally fired by himself while unsaddl-
ing his horse or pulling his gun away.
Editorially the Current contained the
following concerning Mr.. Thayer show
ing the esteem in which he was held by
the people of Carlsbad:
The death of Walter Edward Thayer
takes away man of more than ordinary
accomplishment, man that may be
count.d among the good and great, one
of the most tender hearted and with
feelings as acute as the most refined of
ladies of high education and good breed
ing. His whole life was devoted with
untiring energy to the comfort of his
friends and family to which he was the
most willing protector and if such a
thing might be said. a slave to their
every desire None, except his close
friends, know how many feel as if
brother had gone, brother upon whom
they could depend in every emergency,
either for good advice or financial aid.
He was friend of Carlsbad and we
have heard MIN say when it was pro-
posed to cut him into another county
that Carlsbad and Carlsbad people were
more to him than any other people or
any other town and that his every
effort would be used to prevent placing
him in county of which Carlsbad was
not the county seat.
He was friend of this paper having
never missed copy for nearly twenty
three years, and though a Republican
he always said he admired the Current
for its newsy matter and frank man
ners.
The little cemetery near his home
contains the remains of many friends
and it has been known that at times,
"Hcu luNHDer 10 make cOIIlnS was
scarce. he has taken boards from the
side of his house to construct a coffin.
None, not even the most abject and
poor stranger who came along the road
was ever turned away without plenty
to eat and good bed upon which to lie
AS many as from seventy-fve to two
hundred people have been fed at meal
at funerals and other gatherings while
walt" as he was familiarly known,
worked with will to make every one
feel at home.
He was the first up in the morning
and the last to bed for he always seen
to everything and the last act of his
life was to feed and care for several
poor old cows he had found that needed
care. Eddy county has no greater man
and could well afford to loose a hundred
of ordinary men so far as the good of
the people is concerned than Walter
Edward Thayer.
The Current is in mourning today,
not only for walt" but for its other
good friends, Mrs. Fuller and Robert
Ezell.
Mr.. lack Hendrickson has rented