BOY SHOOTS COMPANION 1901

HARDER, VAN DER FLUTE, HOERNER

Posted By: Cheryl Locher Moonen (email)
Date: 1/3/2017 at 12:42:05

Dubuque Daily Herald, June 5, 1901

BOY SHOOTS COMPANION
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Lamont, June 5. – Marse Harder, aged 12, shot and seriously wounded Jake Van der Flute while engaged in a quarrel last night. Marse Harder, who did the shooting, was watching the younger brother and a small brother of the victim engaged in a fight. Jake Van der Flute is a tall, harmless boy, about 17 years old, and tried to make the boys quit fighting, when Marse Harder ordered him to leave them alone, and upon him refusing to obey Harder made for his father’s house, a few steps away, and returned with a 22-long revolver and throwing it up within a foot or two of his victims breast sent a bullet into his right breast near the nipple. Jake was able to walk to Dr. Hoerners office, where he had the wound dressed. At this time the wounded boy is getting along much better than could be expected, and if blood poison does not set in the young man will soon be up again. Both boys are from honest, industrious families. Young Harder was immediately arrested and incarcerated in the jail and was given a preliminary examination and bound over to the grand jury in August. He is now in jail in Leon. A movement is now on foot to have the lad sent to the industrial school, at Eldora, without awaiting the sitting of the district court the latter part of August.