Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-12-06
A QUEER HEAD.


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Charley Halves was a freighter,
working for an Arizona railroad. Dliv-
ing his team one day down from the
north toward the point at which the
road then ended, he came across
stranger, who asked for ride. Halves
granted the request on the condition
that the wayfaring man would work his
passage by driving. So the stranger
mounted the leader-there were four
or more horses-and Halves, throwing
himself down in the bed OF the wagon,
solaced his weary soul with beer, and
presently fell asleep. But things were
not as they seemed. When the
stranger saw Halves asleep he slipped
back into the wagon, drew Hawes'
pistol from the belt and, placing the
rauzzle close behind the left ear. shot
the unconscious man through the head.
I'len he riiled Halves pockets, and. re-
turning to the leading horse, turned
The team off from the road and began
driving toward the mountains. His
idea was to find secluded spot. dis
pose OF the body of his senseless VIC
tim, burn the wagon and take himself
OIL With the horses. But strange
tling happened. HAYES. although
with bullet through his head, came to
his senses, or rather his senses came to
him. lie felt stunned, sick, conscious
OF violent headache, and dimly aware
that something had happened. He sat
up, and. raising his hand to his right
eye, found it covered with blood. The
bali, which entered behind the left ear.
emerged under the right eve. HAYES
still had no idea of what had happened.
II occurred to him that he had injured
himself IN opening beer bottle. Then
he looked about him and saw that the
team was off the road. At that he
called to the driver.
The fellow, aghast at voice from
the supposed dead, looked around in
utter CONSERVATION. Halves exclaimed
that lie was hurt, asked how it hap
pened and why the driver was going in
the wrong direction. Then the wound
ed man discovered that his pistol was
missing, and this gave a new turn to
his thoughts and aroused suspicion.
The driver, finally pulling himself to-
gether, answered that Halves had acct
dentally shot himself, and that he was
driving in another direction, in order
to reach town where surgeon could
be obtained. The falsehood was too
clumsy. Halves suspicious were in
creased to certainty by the disappear
ance of his money. But his would-be
murderer had his pistol, which he be-
lleved contained two or three more
charges. However, he ordered the fell
low to stop, and, taking beer-bottle, got
out of the wagon. He asked the scoun-
drel to take drink, hoping to get near
enough to knock him down with the
bottle. But the fellow, suspecting his
purpose, refused and kept out of reach.
AT length Halves ordered him to take
horse and ride off for assistance, in the
hope that, while saddling the horse, he
could deal him an effective blow. He
was again disappointed, for the crafty
assassin kept on the opposite side of
the horse. Finally the fellow mounted
and rode away, and has never been seen
or heard of since. Then Halves crawled
into his wagon and had pluck enough
to drive his team to town. There he
was cared for, and, strangest of all, re-
covered, but bears the scars to-day.
This story has been told me by rail
road official, who knew Halves per-
sonally and saw him at the tine and
afterward | fancy there are few in
stances IN the history of surgery more
curious than this. The recovery of
man shot through the head by bullet
which entering behind the left ear
and emerged under the right eye, is
certainly almost on a par with the sur
visal of man who had tamping-iron
driven through his head by an ex-