11-year-old George Gutke dies in shooting accident

Boy Killed By Companion
Didn't Know the Old Gun Was Loaded.

George Gutke the Victim
Joe Murray Fired the Fatal Shot.

While playing yesterday afternoon with an old rusty shotgun, not supposed to be loaded, George Gutke, an 11-year-old boy, was accidentally shot and killed in Camp lane, over the Jordan, by Joe Murray, a 10-year-old companion. The entire load of shot from a 12-bore gun entered the lad's left shoulder, grinding the bone to fragments and burying itself in the chest. He lived for forty-five minutes in terrible agony, but before a physician could get to the scene of the accident, death relieved the sufferer of his agony. The scene after the shooting was heart rending. Young Murray, realizing what he had done, threw his arms about the form of his dying companion and moaned as though his heart would break until some men forced him away.

The accident occurred about 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon at the residence of Martin Murray in Camp lane, beyond the Jordan river. Young Gutke and his brother, who live further down the lane, were visiting young Murray and were playing in the yard, the Murray family being away from home. The shotgun, a rusty weapon with one barrel broken, had been stowed away in the coal shed in the yard and was supposed to be empty. While playing about the shed, young Gutke, it is said, took the gun and sat down by the shed to look at it.

Snapped the Gun.
"I took the gun away from him," said young Murray, "and not knowing that it was loaded I snapped it." Murray said that he did not notice that Gutke was in front of the gun, but unfortunately the boy was within two feet of the muzzle, and as he leaned forward, the whole load went through his shoulder, burying itself in his chest.

With the cry, "O, my God, don't," the lad fell over, apparently unconscious, with the blood streaming from his shoulder. Dropping the gun, young Murray threw his arms about his dying companion and moaned in agony until some carpenters who were working on the Murray house ran and took him away.

The wounded boy was carried in the house and a messenger was dispatched for Dr. Wright, while another notified the parents of the two boys.  Young Gutke suffered great agony for forty-five minutes, but died before Dr. Wright could arrive. The news of his death almost prostrated the mother and sister and the father hung over the form of his child, sobbing in pitiful grief. Dr. Wright, after examining the body and investigating the circumstances, stated that there would be no necessity for an inquest and the body was removed to the undertaking parlors of Joseph William Taylor.

An examination of the shotgun showed that the shell which had been discharged had evidently been left in the gun for a long time, as it had rusted to the barrel.

The victim of the accident is a son of A. F. Gutke, a blacksmith employed by the Rio Grande railroad.

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85058130/1901-10-13/ed-1/seq-5/


Another article appears in the 10-18-1901 Davis County Clipper.
"George Gutke, the Salt Lake boy who was last week accidentally shot by a youthful companion, is dead from the injuries received."
http://udn.lib.utah.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/davis1&CISOPTR=25125&filename=25126.pdf