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Show I p LAREXCE ERICKSOX, 15 years of age, who ac-j ac-j cidentally killed himself with pistol yesterday. K:' ....... (S ' ' : , if . ? I f :r I k v r " ' ' if. ' -- DSSSSrC 1 BOY KILLS HIMSELF AT PLAYWITH GUAI Clarence Erickson Warned by Little Sister Be-I Be-I fore Firing. Placing the muzzle of a 32-caliber revolver re-volver to his temple, Clarence Erickson, 15 years of age, the son of E. William Erickson, a bricklayer, living at 42S East Second South street, called to his little sister Ivy, 9 years of age, at 3:10 yesterday afternoon and said, "Ivy-shall "Ivy-shall I do it?'' The little girl screamed and said, "Oh, Bub, don't do that; it might go off.'' "No, it won't," replied the bov. He pulled the trigger with an effort" The old rust-encrusted revolver spat fire and the child fell to the floor dead. The bullet entered his right temple at a point slightly above the eve. He died almost instantly. The 'little sister screamed and ra'n from the room. She was met in the hall by Edith Cook, 11 years of age, a playmate. The little Cook girl is the daughter of Rov Cook, 617 Clendale street, and has "been a close friend of the dead boy and his little sister. Dr. H. B. Sprague was summoned from police headquarters. He pronounced pro-nounced the boy dead and authorized the removal of the body to the Hall undertaking un-dertaking establishment. Mrs. Annie Erickson, mother of the child, and her daughter, Miss Mable Erickson, were grief stricken at the little lit-tle home last night. Sobbing heavily, the older sister of the boy told the story. She Baid: Bub, as we called Clarence, was a pupil at the West Junior high school. He was a member of the Boy Scouts. When the old Twelfth ward meeting house, across the street from us, was deserted some time ago, the bishop reserved a room for the Boy Scouts to use as a club. One bov had a gun, the same gun that killed Clarence. He was often left to "guard" the club house and he was entrusted with the gun. This afternoon he asked Clarence to clean it for him. Clarence Clar-ence brought it home from school. ' Mother asked him if he had any cartridges and he assured her that he had not. He must have found a cartridge later, or else there was one cartridge in the gun. I think that a spirit of plav prompted hira to point it at his head. Ivy, his little sister, and little Edith Cook were playing in the dining room when he shot himself. Asked if there was anything in the boy's career that might cause him to take his life in a fit of dejection, the older sister said: Some boys of lo are very mature, but Clarence was simply a whole-- whole-- some, childish boy. He had no cares and was of a bright disposition. Before Be-fore coming home he spent several hours at the scouts' room in the old meeting house and mother says that he seemed even more than usually happy. Not realizing that their brother and playmate had died by his own hand, two little girls, baby sisters of the boy, played about the dining room and prattled prat-tled about "Bub." The efforts of the family to learn the identity of the boy who gave the gun to Clarence failed last night. Funeral arrangements have not been definitely made. |