Amador Dispatch-August 31, 1895 - INSTANTLY KILLED BY A TRAP GUN. -- On last Saturday morning Mrs. Ann Stemer was fatally shot by a trap gun on attempting to enter a cabin belonging to her son-in-law (G. Mertz) near the Pioneer school house, in this county, about eight miles above Pine Grove. The affair was one of the saddest events to transpire in this vicinity for years and caused much excitement and comment by the people of that community. It appears that the deceased resided with her son-in-law and family about half a mile from where she was killed; and about 8 o'clock on Saturday morning went down to the cabin for the purpose of getting nails. The cabin was a homestead claim of Mertz, who slept in the cabin for the purpose of holding the homestead, and eating at the family residence. Mertz claims that about 13 months ago, this cabin was entered, and a blanket and a few other articles were stolen there from, a few day(s) after which he set a gun with arrangements to be discharged when the door was partly opened, and send its contents into the doorway so as to strike a man of ordinary height about the arms and midway of his body, and that the loaded gun had been kept in this manner for almost the entire time during the last 13 months. He claims to have informed his family of this fact about the time of first placing the gun there, but told no one else, nor did he tell any one, not even his wife, not to go into the cabin without pulling the fatal trigger. Whether the unfortunate Mrs. Stemer knew the gun was still there or not is not known, but it is presumed she did not, or else she would not have attempted to go in. The key to the cabin was hanging on a nail at the family residence, and this the deceased took when she went for the nails. Not having returned at the noon dinner hour one of Mertz little children was sent after and soon returned and reported that his grandmother was dead. Mertz at once went to the cabin and found the old lady lying on the ground, face down, stiff in death in a pool of her own blood. Neignbors were at once summoned when, the body was removed to the residence and dressed as well as could be. It is claimed by some that a messenger was at once sent to Volcano to telegraph to the Coroner, but that official did not receive word till Monday late in the day. On Tuesday morning he went up to hold an inquest, but on arriving at Pine Grove found that the body had been buried on Sunday, decomposition having been so intense that it could not be kept longer. The circumstances, however, were such that it was thought necessary to hold an inquest, which was done on Wednesday, Dr. Nichols, the County Physician being summoned to be present. The body was accordingly exhumed, and the doctor made a hasty examination, which was very difficult under the advanced state of decomposition, and found the fatal gunshot wound a little to the right of and above the navel, tearing and puncturing the intestines, and also the little finger of the right hand being shot. Death must have been almost instantaneous. The jury brought in its verdict in accordance with these facts, and found that deceased was about 49 years of age, a native of Bavaria, being a widow and leaving three children -- a little girl 11 years old; a son in Fresno 14 years old, and a daughter, the wife of G. Mertz, with whom she and the little girl lived. Mertz is severely criticized by many for so recklessly leaving a trap gun thus fatally loaded in a frail cabin in such close proximity to a public school house, without at least notifying the school trustees, and many of the neighbors openly express their doubts about the deceased ever being informed of the deadly trap. However the affair is a sad and unfortunate one and will perhaps be further inquired into in the near future, as it is evidently putting too low an estimate upon human life to leave a trap gun set for months and months in a cabin so publicly situated, and so liable to be entered by children or others who have no evil intent in going in. (end) Jackie in California [email protected] __________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________