Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1855-07-25
,bockina Accident at Target-Firing.

70
Shocking Accident at Targe Firing.
The encampment of the 7th regiment.
National Guard, of New York city, near
Kingston, has been broken up in conse-
quence Of most disasterous accident.
| 1t appears that on Friday morning the
regiment were under arms for drill, review
and firing practice, and large number OF
persons Of both sexes had assembled from
the surrounding country to seethe milita>
ry display. All the maneuvres were
well performed until the regiment
began to fire by battalion, owing to the
carelessness or mistake of one OF the men,
who loaded his musket with ball car
fridge, woman aud an infant in her
arms were shot A writer in the Herald
gives the following description of the
scene which, ensued
'"The cry was raised" A woman
shot la woman shot ~ whereupon a
rush was made to a certain part Of the
field where a woman was seen to fall.
She raised her self to he feet, when. to the
horror of all present, a'young infant was
found in her arms, wounded in the head
bya bullet, and the blood and brains
scattered over the face and person of the
mother, as she afterwards proved to be,
The greatest excitement ensued, and
the females present manifested the utmost
feeling for the unfortunate mother, and
were profuse in their assistance, and so
affected were many Of them that they
shed tears. The wounded mother and
child were taken 10 a tent, and a doctor
sent for. 1t was found the wound was
caused by bullet, which had struck the
breast Of the mother, passing through
the mamilary glands, then entering the
frontal lobe Of the child's head, and
passing out at the top, and again wound
ing the mother by breaking the bone Of
her arm. Nor was the course Of the ball
here stopped, for it struck young man,
but without injuring him much. The
child, which is about ten months old can
not survive, but the mother is pronounced
out of danger.
The wounded woman is the wife Of
jeremiah Cassel, farmer, who lives
about ten miles back Of Kingston. The
ball was found to be hRttened, and had a
piece Of bone attached to it. How it got
into one of the muskets is mystery. It'll
is surmised that it came from the second
company (Captain Shaler's, who was
direel opposite Mrs. Cassel when she
fell. 1t further appears that they hadI
been shooting at a target in the morning,
and it is surmised that ball cartridge,
by some mistake. was mixed with the
blank cartridges, and in the excitement of
loading. the difference was not noticed by
the person who sped the fatal bullet
The officers state that all the muSkcts
were carefully examined, and they cans
not understand how the disaster could
have occurred.
The men are loud in their expressions
of sympathy for the bereaved and wound
ed mother, and the affair cast a gloom over
the gala day which was progressing most
pleasantly to all concerned.
In order in some way to atone for the
mischief, a collection in aid of the woman
was taken up, and nearly thousand dol
lars collected. The ball which was to
come off in the evening, and for which
great preparations had been made, was
dispensed with, TO the great dissppoint-
ment of some five hundred young ladies,
who had come from New York and the
surrounding country, to participate in the
festivity. The grand review was also
postponed. Indeed the unfortunate oc>
cure nee put n stop to all the pleasure the
Guards anticipated.
7