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Show STRAY BULLET CAUSES DEATH OF REEDLARSOM Body Taken to Britrham City Last Sunday for Burial: Well Known in St. George Reed Larson, aged 18, of Brigham City, a nephew of Mrs. Thomas Cottam' Cot-tam' of St. George, was struck by a stray bullet while with a hunting party near Lytle's ranch at Mountain Meadows Mead-ows last Saturday morning about 8 o'clock. The wound proved fatal and he died 45 minutes later. The high velocity bullet pierced his abdomen below the heart, passed on through the body, coming out to the right of the backbone. The hole where the bullet entered the body is about as large as a pencil, and only slightly larger where it emerged, indicating the bullet was fired from a high power pow-er rifle, from a distance of less than half a mile. For the reason that the bullet passed through the body it is impossible to positively identify the calibre rifle from which it was fired. Reed died 45 minutes after being hit as he was carried down the slope toward to-ward the Enterprise road. As he fell the young man cried, "I am shot in the back," and other than asking for water he said nothing after being struck by the bullet. He sank rapidly, becoming unconscious about 15 minutes before his death. Reed Larson's home was at Brigham City, but he had spent a great deal of time in St. George, where he work-with work-with Thomas Cottam. He had been in Brigham City for some time and had only recently came to St. George on a visit. Friday night he joined Arthur Cottam and son Ronald on a deer hunt in the Mountain Meadows district. The party left here that night and camped at Arthur Cottam's farm above the Lytle ranch. They arose early and started up the mountain moun-tain at daylight. Arthur Cottam was the only one in the party with a gun, neither of the two boys having a weapon. They had gone about a mile and a half from the starting s point, had just topped a ridge and had stopped looking over the country ahead when the accident occurred. They were facing northwest, Arthur . Cottam slightly in the lead, with Larson Lar-son in the center and Cottam and his son but a few feet to rir'.-.t and left of him. As they stood there Larson suddenly staggered and sank to his knees, crying "I am shot in the back." The report of the shot was plamly heard by the other two as was the bullet as it passed them before striking Larson. Cottam called for help but received ho answer in reply to his calls. In about ten minutes Sam Crosby and Earl Laub who were hunting on another an-other ridge about half a mile away, came up in response to the calls of Cottam. Laub at once left for the Lytle ranch to phone for assistance, while the others started down the mountain toward to-ward the Enterprise road carrying the None Bleak, who was on his way to Enterprise for a load of hay brought the body to St. George where it was taken to the Pickett mortuary to be prepared for shipment to BrJgham City. Reed Larson was the son of Wesley and Phoebe Larson of Brigham City. His mother died in 1914 and his father four years later. He spent rrfost of the past summer in St. George working work-ing with Thomas Cottam at plastering plaster-ing and cement work. He was industrious indus-trious and was well liked by all with whom he became acquainted. Thomas and Heber Cottam, who were working at Provo came down imme-diatelv imme-diatelv on receiving word of the death, and took the body to Brigham City where funeral . services were held on Tuesday. Arthur Cottam, son William, Mr. and Mrs. Man:oni McArthur and Miss Juanita Seegmiller went to Brigham to attend the funeral. |