Obit: Olson, Louis (? - 1910)

Contact: Stan

Surnames: OLSON

----Sources: Colby Phonograph (Colby, Clark County, Wis.) 11/17/1910

Olson, Louis (? - NOV 1910)

We are indebted to Brother Pier of the Abbotsford Clarion for the following account of the shooting and obituary for Louis Olson:

Last Saturday evening the entire community was shocked to learn that a telephone message had been received from Penokee stating that Louis Olson had been severely wounded while hunting near there. Dr. Johnston, at the request of the family, immediately left for the scene but did not arrive in time, as Mr. Olson died about 7 o’clock. The remains were brought to Abbotsford, Wis. on No. 104 Sunday, and were in charge of Undertaker Meyers, who left for Penokee as soon as the news of Mr. Olson’s death was received here.

The funeral was held Thursday morning and was conducted by Rev. James C. Martin, after which Abbotsford Lodge No. 298, F. & A.M. took charge of the body and buried it according to the ancient rites of the order. The interment occurred in Dorchester Cemetery, where a number of Mr. Olson’s relatives are buried.

The story of Mr. Olson’s tragic death is as follows: He was a member of a hunting party consisting of Mr. Jones of Sandwich, Ill., Mr. King of Chicago, and A.J. Young, Wilks Douglas and himself from Abbotsford, Saturday afternoon most of the party was hunting on an old lumber road, which was used by the deer as a runway. Mr. Olson was stationed at a place about 2 ½ miles from the camp. About 4:15 a shot was heard, followed by a call for help from Mr. Olson. Mr. King was the first to respond and found Mr. Olson on the ground severely wounded. The other members of the party responded quickly to the alarm and while Messrs. King and Young remained with the wounded man, the others went for help. In his conscious moments Mr. Olson said that he saw a man with a red jacket and cap aiming a gun at him, that he threw up his hands and called not to shoot, but that man shot him and then ran away. Later investigation proved the truth of the dying man’s statement, as the tracks in the snow showed where he had been standing when the shot was fired, and also where he ran away from the spot. An examination showed where the bullet had passed through the body an inch below the center of the right breast, shattering the seventh rib and piercing the lung and liver. Mr. Olson lived about two hours and a half. The body was not brought to camp until nearly midnight. Although every effort was made to locate one who did the shooting nothing was accomplished.