OCR Text |
Show Oft-Performed 'Stunt' With Revolver Kills Logan Youth 'Careless With Guns (Special to The Telegram) LOGAN, Nov. 11 Charles F. Steinbacb Jr., 1. liked to "show off" with a gun and so he killed himself. Thst was the evidence introduced intro-duced today at an inquest into the death yesterday of Steinbacb. who. with a final insouciant gesture ges-ture of a carefree youth, placed ' one cartridge in a .32 revolver. . twirled the cylinder, placed the j I muzzle against hut head and pulled the trigger . . . twice. , On the first pull there was only a click. On the second, the gun dis-. charged and Steinbacb died instantly, in-stantly, only five feet from acquaintances ac-quaintances who did not see him fire. A jury at the inquest returned a verdict that Steinbacb. a fresh-msn fresh-msn at the Utah State Agricultural Agricul-tural yallege "came to his death accidentally by his own gun, held in his own hsnd." No evidence wss introduced tending to show that Steinbacb deliberately planned to Uke his life. On the contrary. It indicated a possibility that he indended to repeat re-peat an old trick, but made a mistake mis-take ... a fatal one. An arquaintancs who was near by at the scene of the shooting ... a vacant lot near Ninth North and Main streets . . told how Steinbacb liked to "show off" with a gun. "He had a habit of showing off. said the witness. Read McFarland. .ContlTKW' m PM To - iCuluias Two) Oft-Practiced Revolver Trick Ends Fatally for Logan Youth th outdoor" and was fond of hooting. But hi father admitted the youth was" "careless with guns." Mr. Steinbach asked for the inquest in-quest in a belief his son had not planned to take hi life. Authorities her said they learned young Steinbach on past occasions had joked about "four to one" chances of surviving such a trick with the gun, which holds five ihots. Th shooting occurred In the midst of Logan's gasoline business busi-ness center, an area dotted by service stations and storage tanks. ' Steinbach had been going there almost daily for several days, shooting at tin cans, aa he did just before hi "stunt," witness Mid. Those testifying at th Inquest wer Willis Craner, Joseph H. Bowcutt Jr, Reed MrFarland, Claude Otterbeck, LyI Bates, G. O. Batt. Deputy Sheriff Hyrum Weatherston. Roger Bauer and Mr. Steinbach Sr. The Jury Included J. Tt. Shaw, J. J. Roberta and F. C Yonk. (OoetlBue frost Page One) "His stunt was to put four cartridges cart-ridges and one blank ahell In a gun, fire the four bullets then fire th blank at himself. "He knew he wouldn't be hurt by the blank." But, on Wednesday, Steinbach started to perform th trick In a different manner. Witnesses said he emptied th revolver, Inserted a single cartridge, car-tridge, twirled th cylinder and pulled th trigger. Two witnesses saw him pull th trigger th first time They wer MrFarland and O. O. Batt. Ne one aaw him the second time, a moment later, becaus Steinbach had walked behind a parked automobile, owned by Joseph Jo-seph H. Bowcutt Jr., who had gone into th office of a gasoline distributing firm on business. After watching Steinbach pull th trigger the first tims, Mc-Farland Mc-Farland started to walk back to a service station where he work. Just aa hs reached th station he heard th shot. "I had paid no attention to Steinbacb's trick, because I thought th gun contained a blank, as usual. McFariana said, giving rise to a belief Steinbach might possibly have thought a blank was in th weapon. Other witnesses, including th victim's father, Charlee F. Steinbach Stein-bach Sr. of Ruth, Nev, teatified aa to Steinbach' reputation and action. All said he had a carefree. Jovial nature, and that he "liked |