Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-04-24
SHOT ALL TO PIECES.
low q Terrible Scare Cured q Par
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From the Troy Times
/ In letter received few days since
from person In New Hampshire, oc-
ours this sentence: "Old Simon Love
stopped here yesterday ON his way
home. He is almost 81, and 10 hale
and hearty"
And that brought to mind IN Incl
dent which happened five-and-tven-
ty years ag0-yes, twenty.nine years
ag0-it was in the Autumn of l848.
The same Simon Love, then 63 years
Of age, and living with son-in-law
on the Grand Intervale road, under
Mote Mountain, had been laid mp for
more than year with what the doc
tors called species of lumbago. He
could not arise from his chair with
out assistance, nor could he move
from chair to bed without the help Of
. strong man, for he was himself very
heavy. There seemed to be . sort Of
paralysis Of al the muscles of the lum-
bar regions, and when.the pain came
It came furiously. I don't know how
many bottles of liniments and patent
unguents had been rubbed upon the
outside, or how many barrels Of
swash he poured down his throat.
He seemed to grow worse instead Of
better, and, with the prospect Of an-
other hard, long Winter before him,
he didn't think he should survive Il.
Well, one day in early October,
while the pigeons were very plenty,
Mr.. Hammond, Loves son-in-law,
was fixing his double-barr gun for.
. shot ct them. He had just cut q
piece of Indian wheat, not far away,
and there the pigeons would be sure
to gather, and he meant to be ready
for them. He had loaded both bar
rels heavily, and put on the percus-
sion caps; but % the caps were slight
ly small for the tubes he had to press
them on, which he was won't TO do
by easing the hammer down upon
them.
Old Simon sat by the fireplace, boil
stored up in his great easy chair, with
padding OF pillows and blankets for
his back and cushions for his feet.
"Look out, Nathan I" he cried, a.
be saw the double muzzle pointed un-
near to him.
"Pooh, there amt no danger, dad"
returned Nathan, pressing the ham-
mer down upon the cap.
But the cap was Q very sensitive
one, and he pressed little too hard,
and
Mercy what q crash and what a
howl! The right barrel of the gun
was discharged with . report that
shook the house from ridge-pole to
and q few Of the shot
grazed Simon Loves leg. He, poor
man, believed he was shot dead. He
sent forth q howl, loud and long, and
leaped to his feet.
"Murderl murder murderl Pm
dead-killed-shOt all to pieces. y!
Of O! Murderl
And away he leaped out of doors !
--out into tho yard-where he danced |
up and down, yelling like mad all the |
while, until Nathan and his wife and
hired man came to his assistance.-I
They got him into the house and got |
him down into his chair, and after |
critical examination they found two
or three livid lines upon tho calf of
his right leg, where a stray shot had |
Just grazed the skin.
"Ain't shot?"
"No. Get up and see."
He was up In q moment, standing |
first upon one leg and then upon the |
other, and presently the thought oc-
Cured to him that he had really risen
and unaided. He started off upon .
brisk walk without pain and without
He could hardly credit |
he evidence of his own senses. He
eaped and he danced; he ran to the
we'll and back again.
"Glory, hallelujahl Nathan, I'm .
we'll man !"
And he spoke truly. The terrific
'hock, convulsing every nerve and
every muscle, had healed
him, and from that time he had not
snother touch Of the old trouble.