Salem Pioneer Cemetery ~ Harry Elmer Bacon ~ part of the Marion County Pioneer Cemeteries of Oregon
Harry "Elmer" Elmer Bacon
LAST NAME: Bacon FIRST NAME: Harry MIDDLE NAME: Elmer NICKNAME: Elmer
MAIDEN NAME:  AKA 1:  AKA 2:  AKA 3: 
TITLE:  GENDER: M MILITARY: 
BORN: Feb 1898 DIED: 4 Jan 1915 BURIED: 7 Jan 1915
ETHNICITY:   OCCUPATION:  Laborer
BIRTH PLACE:  Iowa
DEATH PLACE: Salem, Marion Co., Oregon
NOTES: 
Funeral charged to Alva Bacon 
1900 OR CENSUS - Harrey [Harry] E. Bacon, age 2, b. Feb 1898 in Iowa, is enumerated with Alva, age 34, laborer, b. Apr 1866 in Wisconsin, and Ida, age 24, mother of 2 children, b. Jul 1875 in Iowa, along with  and Mabel C., age 7 months, b. Oct 1899 in Iowa.
OBITUARY: 
SHOT KILLS LAD
Blasius Grasser Charged With Second Degree Murder. Elmer Bacon, Sixteen, While on Way to Chop Wood Monday, Across the River, Meets Sudden Death.
Shot by a neighbor who was guarding a newly posted "No Trespassing" sign, Elmer Bacon, 16 years old, lies dead at the county coroner’s office from the effects of the wounds received at 7:30 yesterday morning near the Blasius Grasser tract, six miles south of Salem. Grasser is in jail charged with second degree murder. The boy is the only son of Mr. and Mrs. Alva Bacon of Marion county, who have a ranch adjoining the Grasser property on the river road.
Whistling When Death Comes.
With his father Elmer started early yesterday morning to cut wood on some adjoining land. Unusually happy and light hearted, the lad ran ahead of the father, singing and whistling. He reached the crossroads where a sign had recently been posted by a neighbor advising against trespassing, and was about to climb over a fence next to it, which led to his work, when there was a report from a shotgun, and the boy fell with his back and left side of the face loaded with shot. The father picked up the boy and two neighbors.
Knute Nelson and Andy Kohler, who heard the shot came to the scene and carried the boy to the Bacon home, where he died at noon. No one saw the shot fired, so far as can be ascertained.
Grasser Admits Shooting.
Sheriff Esch arrived on the scene later with Coroner Clough. The direction of some of the shot which had hit the post, was taken and being due north, it was traced to a corner of the Grasser tract, where gun wadding was found and where the tress had been bent and cut. Big boot footsteps were traced to the Grasser cabin. A neighbor named Misse said that Grasser had come to him a little earlier and asked him to take care of things as he, Grasser, was going away for a few days. Neighbors stated that Grasser said on Saturday that he would place trespassing signs and that he would shoot the first person he saw on the line. Grasser lives alone in his cabin. His wife died some years ago. His two daughters are in Germany. Taken into custody Grasser admitted the shooting.
Inquest Today.
An inquest will be held at the county coroner’s today at 1 o’clock. Grasser is in the county jail, where he is held with a charge of second degree murder.
The Bacon family is bowed in grief. This is the second of the family who has met a tragic death. Two years ago a daughter 13 years old died from the results of burns. Elmer Bacon, the oldest child and help of the family, was a big handsome boy, and the idol of his parents.
Gun shot hit him on the left side of the body. The shot came from an old fashioned single barrel shotgun.
Daily Oregon Statesman 5 Jan 1915 8:4.

Funeral services over the 16-year-old lad, Harry Elmer Bacon, son of Mr. and Mrs. Alva Bacon of near Liberty, who died Monday from gunshot wounds, were held yesterday at 2 p.m. from the parlors of Lehman & Clough. Rev. F. T. Porter officiated. Interment was in the Odd Fellows’ cemetery. The pallbearers were boyhood friends of the lad who was so sadly a victim.
Daily Oregon Statesman 7 Jan 1915 5:3.

MANSLAUGHTER FOR GRASSER
Convicted of Killing Elmer Bacon January 4.
Crime Punishable by 5-15 years.
Will Be Sentenced Tuesday, January 26.
Manslaughter was the verdict returned against Blasius Grasser by the jury last night at 10:30 o’clock after over six hours deliberation. The crime of which Grasser was convicted was the killing of Elmer Bacon, a 16-year-old boy, near Liberty on January 4. The crime is punishable by five to fifteen years in the penitentiary. Grasser will be sentenced Tuesday, January 26, at 9 a.m.
According to the testimony of Alva Bacon, father of the boy, he and his son had started from their home about 7 o’clock in the morning to go to a tract where they were cutting wood. The boy was a short distance ahead of his father and was climbing over a fence where four tracts join, one of the tracts belonging to Grasser, when his father heard a shot, followed immediately by the boy saying "Oh". The father ran and found the boy lying on the land belonging to Knute Anderson, about five feet from the Grasser property. The boy had been shot with a shotgun in the left side of the face and body.
Father on Stand
Bacon, according to his testimony, called for help and a German whose name Bacon did not remember, a Mr. Anderson and a Mr. Miller came and helped carry the boy home, where he died about four hours later. Bacon stated that he was not personally acquainted with Grasser but knew him by sight. He said he had been cutting wood for about six weeks and had never seen any trespass signs on Grasser’s property. He also said that he and his son did not step on Grasser’s land in climbing the fence but crossed diagonally on the opposite side of a large oak post set where the four tracts cornered.
Heard Grasser Complain
Knute Anderson testified that he had heard Grasser complain of people breaking down his fence and heard him say that he would shoot any one trespassing. K. Louis Miller who lives at the Anderson home, corroborated Anderson’s testimony. Mrs. Knute Anderson also said she had heard Grasser make the threat New Year’s day.
S. H. Mize, another neighbor, said that he had heard Grasser state that he had been bothered by people crossing his property and breaking the fences. Mize said he had crossed the Grasser land, leaving the fence down, and that Grasser had asked him to cross in another place, but that he had Grasser had not quarreled.
Sheriff Gives Testimony
After the testimony of Dr. C. H. Robertson as to the cause of the young manÂ’s death, Sheriff Esch was called and identified the gun offered as evidence. Sheriff Esch testified that when and Grasser were walking down the road after Grasser’s arrest that the latter admitted having fired the shot but said he did not know he had hurt anyone.
Sheriff Esch stated that in the presence of W. E. Needham, deputy sheriff, and E. R. Ringo, after Grasser had been brought in to the county jail Grasser said he had risen early and had gone down to the fence corner where he said he had posted trespass warning, and waited until he saw some one approach. He fired and without waiting to inspect the result of his shot went home and cooked breakfast.
Cooks Breakfast After Shooting
Grasser, who is a widower, lived alone and had very little to do with his neighbors. He is reported to have two daughters in Germany. He is about 50 years old. He testified, through an interpreter, Gus Heyden, and said in general that he had been bothered with people trespassing at various times for several years. He said after the shooting that he heard no outcry and did not know that he said after the shooting that he heard a yell when he had almost reached home, but did not investigate.
The case came up for trial Thursday and the greater part of the day was spent by the jury at the scene of the crime, about six miles southwest of this city. Alva Bacon, the first witness was called about 4:30 p.m. Thursday. Yesterday the court room was packed to the doors and many were standing in the corridors outside. When the case went to the jury practically all the spectators remained in their seats hoping the verdict would soon be returned. Only a few, however, were there when the jury returned.
Daily Oregon Statesman 23 Jan 1915 2:4-5.

Grasser Sentenced Today.
Blasius Grasser, convicted of manslaughter for the killing of Elmer Bacon, will be sentenced in department No. 1 of the circuit court this morning at 9 oÂ’clock. The crime of which Grasser is convicted is punishable by a term of five to fifteen years in the penitentiary.
Daily Oregon Statesman 26 Jan 1915 5:4
INSCRIPTION: 
BACON
[no marker found - but "Bacon" written on curb]
SOURCES: 
LR
OSBH DC (Marion Co., 1915) #203
J. Plant Register
OSBH DC (Marion Co., 1915) #203 
S&H p. 5
Saucy Survey
1900 OR CENSUS (Clayton Co., Lodomillo, ED 55, sheet 2B)
DOS 5 Jan 1915 8:4
DOS 7 Jan 1915 5:3
DOS 23 Jan 1915 2:4-5
DOS 26 Jan 1915 5:4.
CONTACTS: 
LOT: 509 SPACE: 1 SE S½ LONGITUDE: N 44° 55.231' LATITUDE: W 123° 02.863'