Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-04-02

A Mother MortRlly Wounds Her
Four.Year-Old Son by Accident
with n small Pistol.
ShreycDort Standard.

Shreveport Standard.
About 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon q
great deal Of excitement was created in
Mugginsvillo, in the neighborhood OF
Mtchcll's wagon yard, by the announce
mcnt that Amy Bradford, colo:ied wo-
man residing just opposite, had acct
dentally shot and mortally wounded her
four-year-old son named Simmy Brad
ford. The house was soon surrounded,
and the excitement was intense, the
grief stricken mother screaming in ago
nv mt the unfortunate accident. Mes
senpers were ut once dispatched for
medical assistance and DR.. G. II. Jones
soon appeared, who discovered that the
little fellow Ind received the fatal bull
lot Immediately over the right oyo and
it ranged upward into the brain, there
being no chance to save his lltc. Later
in tho evening DR.. Jones had paid sec
ond visit, accompanied by DR.. II. G.
Coty, but found nothing could be done,
and it would only irritato the little fell
low by attempting to probe the ball.
THE PARTICULARS.
AtG o'clock last evening our reporter
visited the house and found the wounded
boy lying on . bed quiet, Unconscious, no
doubt, of pain. The mother was still
groaning with grief, and the room still
filled with q crowd, some being present
FROM sympathy and others from curiosi-
~. From Amy Lee Bradford, step
daughter Of the unfortunate mother, we
learned the following particulars:
About 3 O'Clock yesterday afternoon,
the unfortunate mother was engaged in
looking through an old trunk Tor some
articles and her little son was standing
beside her looking on. On reaching tho
bottom of the trunk she came to small
dcrringcr pistol, which had been in the
| trunk for some three years, and there
was no idea on tho part of any Of the
| family that il was loaded. 1t was a
pistol found upon the streets nearly four
| years ago by the mother, and carried q
ball about the size of D pea. Upon see
ing the pistol the little fellow
reached for it, expressing II desire to
play with il, but the mother picked it
up first and. in % good humored way,
pointed it at him, saying, 'Look out,
Pll shoot YOU" Amy, who was near
by, remarked to her she had better look
out as the pistol might be loaded, but,
alas, her warning was too late, for the
words had hardly escaped her lips when
the report sounded and tho deadly bull
let which had remained sccreted in the
barrel for SO many years had entered the
brain of the unfortunate boy, who fell
back and uttered as his last words upon
this earth, "Ohl mama" Since the
shooting no has been perfectly uncon
scious and there is no chance of his re-
covery, rs portion Of the brains oozeC
out of the wound. Indeed he may be
dead at the very moment we are pen
ming these lines. Charles Bradford, the
father of the unfortunate boy, is hare
working and industrious colored man
and he and his wife and family have al
ways borne good reputation, and have
the sympathies of all in their troubles
The grandmother Of the boy, on the
mothers side, was also in tue room a
the time and was an eye witness to the
distressing occurrence. Few can real
ize the grief beneath that roof last
night.