Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 66, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 April 1904 — Young Crane’s Death. [ARTICLE]

Young Crane’s Death.

Particulars of Tuesday’s Sad Hunting Accident On the Kankakee. County Coroner W. J. Wright held his inquest Tuesday afternoon and evening, on Everett B. Crane, the young man whose sad death by a hunting accident occurred early that morning, on the Kankakee river marshes, north of DeMotte.

Young Crane who was the oldest son of John R. Cranes a wealthy farmer and stock dealer of near Wingate, in Montgomery oounty, in company with two uncles, George Pence and J. W.XJrane, came up Monday for a few days’ duck shooting, and stopped at Andy Granger’s place, on French Hand. Tuesday morning they all went out in the marshes in boats to shoot over decoys. Each man had a boat by himself with a hired pusher Young Crane’s pusher was Harvey Downe, a well known and estimable young man from Thayer.

Two mallards came down to young Crane’s blind and he shot twice and Downer once. The duck was wounded and fell at some distance, and the drake settled in the water with her. They started to sneak up to the ducks so as to get a shot at the drake, both crouching down in the boat, and Crane in front and Downer behind. Downer says he had only one shell in his gun, not having reloaded after shooting the first time. He also says be had his gun laying before him cross-wise of the boat.

Just what occurred next is not very clear. But as they approached the ducks, a gun was discharged and Crane was shot in the head from behind and the top of bis bead blown off. Downer claims that be did not ehoot at all, and that Crane in some way shot himself. The other members of the party, who were not far away, say there were two shots, in quick succession. Each of the guns still had one loaded shell, so that Crane oould have shot only once.

These circumstances caused the coroner and probably all who were in the vicinity, to believe it was Downer’s gun that fired the fatal shot. That it was purely an aoci dent, however, there was no question in the minds of anyone. If it was Downer’s gun, hewas simply too frightened and distracted to have any clear remembrance of what did happen. Everett Crane, the victim of the accident, leaves a father and step mother, and numerous other friends and relatives, all well-to-do and very highly respected people of the vicinity of Wingate. Six of bis friends and neighbors came up Monday, bringing an undertaker with them, and the body was taken home for burial, on the late Monon train Tuesday night.