Ralph O'Clair, 1917-1931

OCLAIR, OLIVER

Posted By: Alan Nicholson
Date: 4/21/2012 at 13:56:57

Sutherland Courier, 27 Aug 1931 p 1, Col. 1

Everly Boy Takes Own Life; Use of Shotgun

Ralph O'Clair, 14-year-old son of Mrs. Frank Oliver near Everly ended his life with a 410 shot gun sometime last Friday evening.

Ralph had been scolded for some childish prank Friday and felt abused. His mother and step-father left for an automobile ride that evening and when they arrived home they took it for granted that the children were all asleep. There was a younger brother Wayne and a sister Bertha. The next morning when it was discovered that Ralph had not slept in his bed they became alarmed and started searching for him.

On Monday afternoon about four o'clock Leo LeClair, hired man working for Theo Lammers went to the Lammers pasture to get a disk and found the body by the disk. He had tied a string to the trigger of the gun and from there to the disk. He had fallen to the ground with his arms out-stretched. His body which had lain there since Friday evening was in a badly decomposed condition.

A neighbor lady saw him walking toward the pasture just before sunset that evening but thought nothing of it. He was not carrying a gun at that time; it is thought he had taken the gun there sometime before. His younger brother started to follow him that evening but he said, "No, you stay here Wayne, it will be better for you." He had remarked that day to a neighbor boy that he was goin to kill himself and told him he could have all his playthings. He remarked that he was tired of being blamed for everything.

He leaves his mother and step-father and a younger brother and sister. His own father, Mr. O'Clair ended his life several years ago in the same manner by shooting. - Hartley Sentinel

Interment in Dickens cemetery
 

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