Robert S. Goddard

ROBERT S. GODDARD, HERALD NEWS REPORTER, TAKES OWN LIFE HERE LAST FRIDAY NIGHT

Apparently overcome with grief over the death of his father, the late Daniel E. Goddard, which caused him to become temporarily deranged, Robert S. Goddard, 22 years old, for some time news reporter on The Herald, took his own life some time last Friday evening, probably between 10:30 and midnight, by shooting himself in the head with a 38-calibre revolver.

The body was discovered about 9:00 Saturday morning by Charles A. Lamar, of The Herald staff, who also lives at the Ranger Motel, when he entered Goddard's room to awaken him, which Lamar had been in the habit of doing.

Sheriff Will Hassed, Dr. W. E. Reckling and Coroner George Earl Peet were called immediately, and after a consultation they announced that there was no doubt as to the cause of death, and no inquest was held.

Funeral services were held Monday morning at 10:30 o'clock from St. Leo's Catholic Church, with Rev. Father Bruno officiating. Interment was made in the family plot in the Lusk Cemetery, the Midwest Mortuary having charge of the arrangements.

The pallbearers were Jake Lorenzen, John Thon, C. P. Owen, Richard Marsh, Don DeGroot and Jim Tenney. The Lusk Volunteer Fire Department, of which deceased was an active member, attended in a body, acting as honorary pallbearers.

Friends are at a loss to explain the rash act of this most estimable young man, who had been born and reared in Lusk, and who had so many friends and such a promising future. It is known that he had been subject to spells of melancholia since the death of his father a short time ago, and those who know him best believe that he had become temporarity deranged.

Since the death of his mother, in California, in 1927, Robert had made his home here with his father, and they were inseparable companions.

Some believe that an injury to his head which he sustained in a gymnasium several years ago at a high school in California, may have had somthing to do with his state of mind. At the time of the injury, he was in a coma for several days, and an injury to the brain was feared.

It is certain that his act was not premeditated. He had made all arrangements to attend Notre Dame University next year, and was to enter Wyoming University after the first of the year, to finish a course there so he could enter Notre Dame as an upper classman, majoring in journalism, a profession which he had definitely settled upon as his life's work.

He went about his usual routine Friday, attending the Torrington-Lusk football game in the capacity of Herald reporter, leaving his notes of the game on his desk with the evident intention of writing the story on Saturday morning. When he threw his pages of scribbled play-by-play notes on his desk, he made the humorous remark that "it would be just too bad if somebody else would have to write the account of that game from these notes, for nobody in the world but myself can decipher them." By a queer turn a fate, his intended witty remark turned out to
be a prophesy-for nobody could, and nobody did write the account of the game from his notes.

OBITUARY
Robert S. Goddard was born in Lusk, Wyoming, November 17, 1913. After attending the grade school here for a short time, he went with his mother and sister to California, where he attended the Jefferson High School in Long Beach, Cal., for some time. On the death of his mother in 1927, in California, he returned with his sister, to Lusk, where he resumed his studies in Lusk High School, graduating with the class of 1930.

After working as "cub" reporter on The Lusk Herald, during 1931, he attended Wyoming University during 1932, and in 1933 he resumed his place on the reportorial staff of The Herald, where he remained until his death. He had made all preparations to re-enter Wyoming University the first of the year.

He is survived by one brother, Daniel E. Goddard, Jr., of Lusk; three sisters, Mrs. J. S. Bonsell of Mountain View, Mo.; Mrs. Edith Rouse, of Long Beach, Calif., and Mrs. Bennie Updike of Lusk.

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