HALL, Lyle Raymond - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

Judson—A make-believe “gun battle” staged by two youthful playmates ended Saturday night in the tragic death of one of the participants.

  The victim was nine year old Lyle Raymond Hall, shot through the heart with a slug from a 22 caliber revolver.

  Officers who investigated the shooting said the death gun was held by Jim Wrightsman, 13, a long time chum of the accident victim.

  The tragedy occurred in the living room of the Hall residence here and was witnessed by William Hall, father of the dead boy.

  Relatives said the two youths had been engaged in a mock gun battle and that Lyle Raymond had been “firing” at Wrightsman with a fountain pen.    The older youth suddenly snatched the death weapon from a table, and believing it unloaded, pointed it at Lyle Raymond and pulled the trigger. Wrightsman had previously been playing with another revolver from which the firing mechanism had been removed. The Hall youngster slumped to the floor fatally wounded.  A fourth grade student in the Judson school, young Hall was the son of William and Zadora Branstetter Hall. He was born Nov. 9, 1939 at Waveland.  Surviving in addition to the parents are two sisters, Merle, 5, and Lynda, 2, a brother, Billy Lee, 7, all at home; the grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Sam Bransletter of Judson and Mr. and Mrs. Charles Hall of Waveland; and a great grandmother, Mrs. Laura Bushong, of Waveland.  The funeral services were conducted at 2 o’clock Monday afternoon at the Judson Baptist Church in charge of Rev. C. W. Mears. Burial was in the Guion Cemetery. -– S&E – so sad