“SILENT” BILLY HEER IS DEAD IN OKLAHOMA
30 YRS. AGO, ONE OF COUNTRY’S GREAT SHOTS
A letter from Mrs. William H. Heer, of Guthrie, Okla., brings news of the death of her husband, the Internationally known “Billy” Heer, at his home in Guthrie. He died on December 7. In the late ‘90’s and up to the middle of 1900’s Billy Heer was one of the country’s greatest shots. He traveled for the U. M. C. company (Remington), from 1903 to 1918, as a shooter salesman, and shot in the tournaments all over the country. He was a member of the U. M. C. teams that gave exhibition shoots in many states, and was the comrade of Pop Heikes, Charley Budd, Jim Head, tom Marshall, col. J. T. Anthony of North Carolina, and others.
In the old shooting days of the ‘90’s, Kansas produced three outstanding shots who made the sunflower famous by their feats with the shotgun. All were familiar figures at the tournaments in Kansas and adjoining states. They were Ed. O’Brien, of Florence, Kan., one of the greatest hard condition shooters in the country; E. W. “Fatty” Arnold, of Larned, Kan., and “Silent Bill” Heer, of Concordia. Ed. O’Brien became a professional in the early 1900’s and made a name for himself as one of the most popular pros. In the United States. He died in 1931. His close friend and shooting pal in their amateur days, “Fatty” Arnold moved to Texas fifteen or eighteen years ago and died there.
Billy Heer moved to Guthrie, Okla. Years ago, when he was married. He had done but little, if any, shooting since 1930, but attended the tournaments for a few years after leaving the professional ranks in 1918. He shot a 500-target match with Frank Troeh of Portland and defeated him, by a close margin. That was at Seattle in 1918 and the match created country-wide interests.
Mrs. Heer writes, in part : “Mr. Heer moved to Guthrie in 1908, when we were married, and after leaving the road, he owned and operated a hardware store for a number of years; afterwards opening a shop as a gunsmith. He shot a match with Frank Troeh, in 1918 and won. His greatest thrill was at winning this race as one of the country’s outstanding shots.
Mr. Heer was a southpaw and was familiarly known as “Silent Bill.” He had been failing in health for over a year, and had been bedfast for three months. His greatest disappointment in trapshooting was when he was barred from the Olympic team in 1920, because he had been a professional. He had been chosen and had his passport. (One of the Olympic team rules barred any shooter who had been what they called a pro.).
***Billy Heer is my cousin, his father, Henry Heer also a sharpshooter, though during the U.S. Civil War, was an older brother of my great great grandfather David H. Heer of Galena, Illinois.
30 YRS. AGO, ONE OF COUNTRY’S GREAT SHOTS
A letter from Mrs. William H. Heer, of Guthrie, Okla., brings news of the death of her husband, the Internationally known “Billy” Heer, at his home in Guthrie. He died on December 7. In the late ‘90’s and up to the middle of 1900’s Billy Heer was one of the country’s greatest shots. He traveled for the U. M. C. company (Remington), from 1903 to 1918, as a shooter salesman, and shot in the tournaments all over the country. He was a member of the U. M. C. teams that gave exhibition shoots in many states, and was the comrade of Pop Heikes, Charley Budd, Jim Head, tom Marshall, col. J. T. Anthony of North Carolina, and others.
In the old shooting days of the ‘90’s, Kansas produced three outstanding shots who made the sunflower famous by their feats with the shotgun. All were familiar figures at the tournaments in Kansas and adjoining states. They were Ed. O’Brien, of Florence, Kan., one of the greatest hard condition shooters in the country; E. W. “Fatty” Arnold, of Larned, Kan., and “Silent Bill” Heer, of Concordia. Ed. O’Brien became a professional in the early 1900’s and made a name for himself as one of the most popular pros. In the United States. He died in 1931. His close friend and shooting pal in their amateur days, “Fatty” Arnold moved to Texas fifteen or eighteen years ago and died there.
Billy Heer moved to Guthrie, Okla. Years ago, when he was married. He had done but little, if any, shooting since 1930, but attended the tournaments for a few years after leaving the professional ranks in 1918. He shot a 500-target match with Frank Troeh of Portland and defeated him, by a close margin. That was at Seattle in 1918 and the match created country-wide interests.
Mrs. Heer writes, in part : “Mr. Heer moved to Guthrie in 1908, when we were married, and after leaving the road, he owned and operated a hardware store for a number of years; afterwards opening a shop as a gunsmith. He shot a match with Frank Troeh, in 1918 and won. His greatest thrill was at winning this race as one of the country’s outstanding shots.
Mr. Heer was a southpaw and was familiarly known as “Silent Bill.” He had been failing in health for over a year, and had been bedfast for three months. His greatest disappointment in trapshooting was when he was barred from the Olympic team in 1920, because he had been a professional. He had been chosen and had his passport. (One of the Olympic team rules barred any shooter who had been what they called a pro.).
***Billy Heer is my cousin, his father, Henry Heer also a sharpshooter, though during the U.S. Civil War, was an older brother of my great great grandfather David H. Heer of Galena, Illinois.
“SILENT” BILLY HEER IS DEAD IN OKLAHOMA
30 YRS. AGO, ONE OF COUNTRY’S GREAT SHOTS
A letter from Mrs. William H. Heer, of Guthrie, Okla., brings news of the death of her husband, the Internationally known “Billy” Heer, at his home in Guthrie. He died on December 7. In the late ‘90’s and up to the middle of 1900’s Billy Heer was one of the country’s greatest shots. He traveled for the U. M. C. company (Remington), from 1903 to 1918, as a shooter salesman, and shot in the tournaments all over the country. He was a member of the U. M. C. teams that gave exhibition shoots in many states, and was the comrade of Pop Heikes, Charley Budd, Jim Head, tom Marshall, col. J. T. Anthony of North Carolina, and others.
In the old shooting days of the ‘90’s, Kansas produced three outstanding shots who made the sunflower famous by their feats with the shotgun. All were familiar figures at the tournaments in Kansas and adjoining states. They were Ed. O’Brien, of Florence, Kan., one of the greatest hard condition shooters in the country; E. W. “Fatty” Arnold, of Larned, Kan., and “Silent Bill” Heer, of Concordia. Ed. O’Brien became a professional in the early 1900’s and made a name for himself as one of the most popular pros. In the United States. He died in 1931. His close friend and shooting pal in their amateur days, “Fatty” Arnold moved to Texas fifteen or eighteen years ago and died there.
Billy Heer moved to Guthrie, Okla. Years ago, when he was married. He had done but little, if any, shooting since 1930, but attended the tournaments for a few years after leaving the professional ranks in 1918. He shot a 500-target match with Frank Troeh of Portland and defeated him, by a close margin. That was at Seattle in 1918 and the match created country-wide interests.
Mrs. Heer writes, in part : “Mr. Heer moved to Guthrie in 1908, when we were married, and after leaving the road, he owned and operated a hardware store for a number of years; afterwards opening a shop as a gunsmith. He shot a match with Frank Troeh, in 1918 and won. His greatest thrill was at winning this race as one of the country’s outstanding shots.
Mr. Heer was a southpaw and was familiarly known as “Silent Bill.” He had been failing in health for over a year, and had been bedfast for three months. His greatest disappointment in trapshooting was when he was barred from the Olympic team in 1920, because he had been a professional. He had been chosen and had his passport. (One of the Olympic team rules barred any shooter who had been what they called a pro.).
***Billy Heer is my cousin, his father, Henry Heer also a sharpshooter, though during the U.S. Civil War, was an older brother of my great great grandfather David H. Heer of Galena, Illinois.
30 YRS. AGO, ONE OF COUNTRY’S GREAT SHOTS
A letter from Mrs. William H. Heer, of Guthrie, Okla., brings news of the death of her husband, the Internationally known “Billy” Heer, at his home in Guthrie. He died on December 7. In the late ‘90’s and up to the middle of 1900’s Billy Heer was one of the country’s greatest shots. He traveled for the U. M. C. company (Remington), from 1903 to 1918, as a shooter salesman, and shot in the tournaments all over the country. He was a member of the U. M. C. teams that gave exhibition shoots in many states, and was the comrade of Pop Heikes, Charley Budd, Jim Head, tom Marshall, col. J. T. Anthony of North Carolina, and others.
In the old shooting days of the ‘90’s, Kansas produced three outstanding shots who made the sunflower famous by their feats with the shotgun. All were familiar figures at the tournaments in Kansas and adjoining states. They were Ed. O’Brien, of Florence, Kan., one of the greatest hard condition shooters in the country; E. W. “Fatty” Arnold, of Larned, Kan., and “Silent Bill” Heer, of Concordia. Ed. O’Brien became a professional in the early 1900’s and made a name for himself as one of the most popular pros. In the United States. He died in 1931. His close friend and shooting pal in their amateur days, “Fatty” Arnold moved to Texas fifteen or eighteen years ago and died there.
Billy Heer moved to Guthrie, Okla. Years ago, when he was married. He had done but little, if any, shooting since 1930, but attended the tournaments for a few years after leaving the professional ranks in 1918. He shot a 500-target match with Frank Troeh of Portland and defeated him, by a close margin. That was at Seattle in 1918 and the match created country-wide interests.
Mrs. Heer writes, in part : “Mr. Heer moved to Guthrie in 1908, when we were married, and after leaving the road, he owned and operated a hardware store for a number of years; afterwards opening a shop as a gunsmith. He shot a match with Frank Troeh, in 1918 and won. His greatest thrill was at winning this race as one of the country’s outstanding shots.
Mr. Heer was a southpaw and was familiarly known as “Silent Bill.” He had been failing in health for over a year, and had been bedfast for three months. His greatest disappointment in trapshooting was when he was barred from the Olympic team in 1920, because he had been a professional. He had been chosen and had his passport. (One of the Olympic team rules barred any shooter who had been what they called a pro.).
***Billy Heer is my cousin, his father, Henry Heer also a sharpshooter, though during the U.S. Civil War, was an older brother of my great great grandfather David H. Heer of Galena, Illinois.
Gravesite Details
Ref: Cemetery Records (they appear to use burial year as death year)
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Siblings
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