Richard Lafayette "Lafe" Howard (1912)

HOWARD, JOHNSON

Posted By: Treva Patterson
Date: 2/15/2007 at 14:39:39

The Winterset Madisonian
Winterset, Iowa
Wednesday, November 13, 1912

A FATAL HUNTING ACCIDENT

Lafe Howard, a Former Resident of Webster Township Killed

Lafe Howard, who formerly resided near the village of Webster, in this county, lost his life in a hunting accident which occurred near Freeport, Illinois. The following details of the accident are given in an Illinois paper.

A very sad accident took place in the vicinity of Brookville on Sunday morning at ten o'clock, when Lafollett Howard, who in company with two little boys, Lloyd and Harry Kniess, aged 13 and 11 was shooting squirrels in the George Kniess grove was accidentally shot in the back part of the head and after walking about seventy rods and then riding in a buggy an equal distance to the home of Mrs. Jennie Overfield, it was found that tender care and surgical aid were of no avail and he died six hours later.

Dr. Brigham who met the wounded man at the Overfield home called Dr. W. L. Karcher of Freeport at once to counsel and it was decided to make one desperate effort to get the patient to the hospital but he breathed his last while a carriage was being prepared.

The cause of the accident cannot be fully explained. Lloyd Kniess and Mr. Howard each had a gun, and when a squirrel was seen up a tree, each prepared to shoot, but Lloyd shot first and killed it and Mr. Howard handing his rifle to Harry started to pick up the squirrel when the shot occurred. Although the ball sank deeply in the brain he was conscious most of the time to the last and talked to those about him asking that no one be blamed for his injury and that his mother, who is believed to live in Iowa and who is sick in bed, be not notified of the accident.

Besides his mother, he leaves a daughter, Miss Cora Howard of Iowa and a sister, Mrs. F. M. Johnson of Winterset, Iowa and perhaps other relatives who are not known to us. The deep sympathy of many friends is with Mr. and Mrs. Kniess and family.

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