Obit: Redmond, Harold (1896 - 1911) 
 

Contact: Ann Stevens

Email:  sdann88@yahoo.com 
 

Surnames: Redmond, Kraus, Malter, Hake, Townsend, Masters, Hanson, Mead, Campman, Rush, Burrows, Risser 
 

----Source:  Neillsville Times (Neillsville, Clark County, Wis.)  July 27, 1911 
 

Redmond, Harold (March 1896 - July 23, 1911) 
 

Harold Redmond was instantly killed Sunday morning at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. M.C. Redmond, in town of York.  The boy came to his death while handling a revolver, but the exact manner is not known, as there were no witnesses to the accident.  The boy had done his chores as usual in the morning and about 9 o’clock had disappeared.  About 11 o’clock George Kraus came to tell the hired man, Richard Kraus, that his sister was home from Chicago and wished to see him.  In looking for Kraus, Mr. and Mrs. Redmond discovered that Harold was also missing and they instituted a careful search for him.  Upon entering the machine shed, Mrs. Redmond found the little fellow lying on his back, cold in death, with a bullet hole through his head.  The bullet had entered back of the right ear and passed through the head and out at the left cheek bone. 
 

A coroner’s jury consisting of J.J. Malter, Grant Hake, R. Townsend, L.G. Masters, Hans Hanson and Fred Mead held an inquest Tuesday morning, Justice Campman presiding and District Attorney Rush conducting the examination.  The jury decided that Harold was killed by a revolver shot fired by an unknown person.  The general opinion seems to be that while there were suspicious circumstances connected with the accident, that Harold, in the boylike handling of a forbidden treasure, had accidentally discharged the weapon and killed himself. 
 

The parents of the lad were ignorant of the fact that the boy had purchased a revolver, 32 caliber, while in Neillsville on Memorial Day.  It seems that Harold had kept the weapon hidden in the machine shed, and it seems very probable that Sunday morning while cleaning it had accidentally killed himself.  The accident is a sad bereavement to Mr. and Mrs. Redmond, as Harold was their only remaining child, a daughter having died in infancy and their eldest son having been killed 15 years ago by being kicked by a horse. 
 

Harold was an unusually bright and intelligent little boy, and took great interest in the farm work.  He was of a happy and pleasing disposition and his untimely death is a source of great grief to his companions.  He was 15 years of age last March, having been born in the town of York on the Redmond farm. 
 

The funeral was held yesterday morning at 11 o’clock at the family residence and burial was made in the Neillsville Cemetery.  Rev. Burrows and Rev. Risser officiated.