The Jack Miller Archive

There is a bit of confusion. In Pistol River Recollections, Ella Mae indicates this is mid-December 1930 and not 1931.

“Elmer Miller’s death was probably the greatest tragedy in this part of the country,” added Stanley Colegrove. “Elmer was a fine man, known for his honesty and truthfulness. He was hard working and he left a large family of seven children."

Iva, Page 88-90

Elmer was at the ranch with his two brothers, Omer and Bob, about the middle December. Will Wridge was down from Portland where his family had moved.

[Added Note from Pistol River Recollections by Ella Mae Sponaugle, Page 173. Susie Forgey’s sisters were Rebecca and Ruby. Rebecca married Benjamin Gardner, Sr., which made Ben Gardner Jack’s 2nd cousin. Ruby married William Wridge, Elmer’s uncle, and presumably the man who shot and killer Elmer while hunting.]

Will phoned, wanting to go on a bear hunt. Elmer was not eager to go with Will. He called every friend he could think of to hunt with them. Most of them wanted to be home since Christmas was only 10 days away. Zahnie Crockett had a cold; Dolly didn’t want him to go out in the severe chill of the winter weather. Elmer's brothers wanted to hunt just west of the ranch, while a bear hunt might lead almost anywhere.

Early the next morning Elmer and Will set off with the pack of hounds, determined to make good use of time to track a marauding bear. Not until 4:30 PM that afternoon did Will Wridge appear at Harley Gardner’s ranch. Elmer Miller had been shot accidentally that morning when he rushed in close to the dogs fighting the bear. Will shot his rifle., hitting Elmer. Will wandered around, lost, until he finally stumbled onto the ranch.

Elmer’s wound was a bad one. The bullet entered from behind just at his tailbone, traveled along his right leg, coming out of the knee. It’s hard to think that way, but it’s best he went. He would have been a cripple for the rest of his life. For an active man like Elmer that would’ve been something he couldn’t bear.

All the doctor could determine was that Elmer had been shot about 10 o’clock that morning and had died about three hours later.

When they found Elmer he was seated on the knoll. He had been dead a long time. The men found Elmer sitting up on the knoll. He had doubled the index finger of his right hand between his teeth was biting on his finger to help him bear the pain. His pocket watch was cupped in his left hand as if he were trying to figure how long it would take for help to get them.

Elmer stopped all the bleeding fine, but he didn’t know that the bullet split off a sliver when it came through his right knee. The split piece of lead pierced the leather of his left ankle, and severed an artery. If I had been there I would have found the bleeding.

“Where were the dogs? Among the questions remaining in the years that followed was what had happened to the pack of dogs. Iva was satisfied that in fighting with the bear they had been severely injured, then crawled away to die.

Zahnie said Harley had told him he had gone back to the Low Glades, just to see if he could find anything of interest. Harley said he had found something, but he wouldn’t tell what because it would only make trouble in the family. No long ago, one man said Zahnie told him that he, Zahnie, had gone back to the Low Glades. He had found the hunting dogs dead and buried together in a hole in the ground.

Elmer’s family had a tough financial struggle for many years but now Dad has (from his seven children) fifteen grandchildren, 44 great grandchildren, and 20 great great grandchildren.

Four of his seven children earned college degrees with one earning a Ph.D., one and electrical engineer, one a wildlife specialist, one a school teacher, and one a seminary professor and ministry. Although he fell to the ground early in life, he believed in God and left good seed to sprout after him.”

(Page, 215, Pistol River Recollections)