Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1878-11-19
GOV. HAMPToN's ACCIDENT
How it Came About, and the Ma
ture of His Injuries.
Charleston News and Courier, Saturday

The following particulars IN reia~
ton to the scrinus accident which
befeI Gov. Hampton. Thursday, were
obtained from a member Of his fami>
". and will be read with painful in
terest:
The Governor left Columbia We'd
nesday afternoon on his way to meet
a party Of gentlemen who bad ar
ranged for deer hunt in the Wateree
Swamp next day. and had invited
HIM to be present Spending the
night at the residence of Mr..
Speigner, a few miles distant from
the appointed rendezvous. Gov.
Hampton. next morning Thursday,
exchanged his horse for young half
broken mule, and proceeded alone to
the place where he expected to join
the other members Of the party. -
Before reaching there. however, the
pack of hounds, all ready on hot
scent, passed within hearing, and the
Governor leaving the road, followed
them until he obtained a shot at the
flying deer. Soon after this, finding
himself involved in the thick uuder>
growth of the swamp, he ieaped for
ward and threw his bride reins over
a small limb preliminary to dismount-
ing. At this critical moment, how
ever, the miserable beast which he
bestrode suddenly succeeded in re-
leasing the reins from the bOugh and
dashed off through the woods. Being
unable to recover the reins as quickly
as was necessary to assure himself
against certain injury from violent
contact with the trunks of the over
hanging limbs of the trees, Gov
Hampton instantly sprang from his
saddle to the ground, a!ighting upon
his feet, but, unfortunately, with so
much vioIence-his weight, too, fall
ing mainly upon the right foot-that
both the bones Of the right leg were
fractured just above the ankle, and
the joint itself dislocated.
Finding himself thus suddenly dis
abled and left alone in the depth of
the swamp, the mule too having dis
appeared on the instant, and so de-
prived him of the only means of seek
ing assistance, the Governor had
recourse to his hunting horn, and the
gun which he had retained in bis
hand, and employed them for nearly
two long hours in the seemingly hope>
less effort to summon the help which
he SO sorely needed. The direction
of the chase had, indeed, led the
other gentlemen engaged in its puit
suit to within hearing of his signals,
but these very common sounds natur-
ally enough failed to attract attention.
until the frequency of the reports OF
the gun in such an unusual quarter
led Col. Thomas Taylor to suspect
trouble of some kind and to send a
colored man to inquire into the mat
ter This most providential messen-
ger soon discovered the Governor ly-
ing on the ground in the condition
described and suffering great pain,
and quickly led the party to his side,
The trifing circumstances deserves
to be noted in this connection that
after first administering to his imme
date wants, his sympathizing, but
admiring friends quickly observe that
the sufferer, with characteristic cool
ness and nerve, had utilized the time
and ammunition employed in his
hours of signalling aud suffering by
firing at a distant mark, which mark,
it was next ascertained, was fairly
riddled with balls; or as one of them
afterwards amazedly declared, "he
had hit the bullseye every time -
1t was now nearly o'clock in the
afternoon; the accident had occurred
about 4 o'clock; but before a removal
could be effected it was found neces-
sary to cut a rough road through the
swamp in order to allow the passage
of the spring-wagon, which had been
meantime procured, furnished with a
mattrass, and brought to the nearest
point of the road.
This labor accomplished at last, the
party started to Columbia, sixteen
miles distant, and reached the Cover
nor's home a little before midnight.
Medical assistance had been summon
ed, and DIR. r. w. Taylor dressed
the injury temporarily. 1t was found
that the small bone of the right leg
was broken about six inches above
the ankle that the larger bone had
been completely severed just above its
terminus at the ankle joint, and that
the upper end Of the lower section
had swerved from its place, and pene-
trating the surrounding flesh protrud-
ed into plain view. This protrusion
of the bone had caused considerable
loss of blood. The Governor was
now left to the care Of his family and
friends for the night.
At an early hour next morning Drs.
TAYLOR, Trezevant and Talley, with
the necessary apparatus, reduced the
dislocation of the ankle. A great
deal of force was requisite, the opera
ton being complicated by the attend
ing fracture. The Governor was kept
for some time under the influence of
chloroform, and slept almost all the
remainder of the day. The latest re-
port received is better than was ex-
pected. If the wounds heal kindly it
is expected he may be about on
crutches at the end of three or four
weeks if not, longer confinement
is imperative.
We notice this one conspicuous fact
in the result of the recent election in
Virginia and elsewhere, namely: That
wherever there was an "irredeemable'