St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-03-28
A DISTRESSING CASUALTY
A Young Man Shot Dead in Shoot
ing Gallery Last Evening.
Full Details of the Sad Eyent-Who is to
Blame?

| A few minutes past o'clock last eve ming,
fatal accident occurred in the billiard saloon
| in the basement Of the American express
building at the corner of Fourth and Waba-
shaw streets. Mr.. Adolph C. Feise, the well
known drum major of the First Regiment
band, who is proprietor of the saloon, has
recently fitted up a shooting gallery at one
side of his large room. This gallery, leased
to man by the name of Brenk, was sepa-
rated from the billiard table floor by thin
board partition, which is lined with iron from
the target end of the gallery to within about
seven feet from the shooting stand. 1t had
been fitted up under direction of
the lessee, with charge from
Mr. Feise to make it perfectly safe. The
position of persons shooting with reference
to the partition made it seem that an iron
lining was not necessary Immediately at
their left, bnt the occurrence last evening,
(perhaps the result of careless handling of a
gum shows that the unexpected, which al
ways happens, ought to have been guarded
against.
The confusion in the saloon following the
accident, and the distress of the proprietor
and his assistants made it difficult to obtain
correctly detailed account of the occur
renee. Brenk, the Jesse of5 the gallery,
who was said to have fired the fatal shot, had
disappeared. The facts, as near as they
could be ascertained under the circumstances
appear as follows:
Gordon o. Clark, about seventeen years old,
with young companions, was playing pool on
table nearly opposite the head or shooting
end of the gallery. and at the moment
Clark was STOPPING, either in the act of play
ing or to reach under the table for bridge.
Brenk, Rthe gallery lessee, was trying one of
his guns. Nobody could be found who would
acknowledge seeing his movements when
the gun was discharged, but it may be sup
posed that in putting cartridge into the
gun he held the gun about breast high with
the muzzle pointing to his left or towards
the partition between the gallery
and the billiard tables. In this position the
gun was discharged and the ball, 22-caliber
and conical, propelled by strong charge of
powder, passed through the partition, over
the billiard table and into the left breast of
young Clark. The ball struck Clark, as he
was bent forward toward the point from
which the ball came, about three inches
above the left nipple and its direction prob
ably carried it into the right part of his heart
He fell almost instantly, and died within
few minutes.
eral offices in this city, of the st. Paul 81
Quincy railway company. His father, Silas
w. Clark, resides at No. 473 Park avenue,
and is travelling agent for Hoxie & Jaggar.
At the moment of the fatality young
Clark was engrossed in his game with Ernest
Lambert, an intimate associate. Earlier in
the evening the two youths left their homes
with the intention of attending an enter
tainment at the Madison school, but as the
hall was crowded, they changed their pur-
pose, and came down town.
CHARLES BRENK,
the proprietor of the shooting gallery, came
from Milwaukee some time since and was
formerly barkeeper at the Minnesota
house. He was seen by GLOBE reporter at
city hall last night and in response to in
quiries he said that he had only opened the
gallery on Wednesday. At the time of the
accident he had just finished loading one of
the weapons, and was in the act of passing it
over to customer, when his sleeve caught
in the raised hammer and caused it to fall,
thus discharging the weapon.
The body of young Clark was taken to the
residence of his parents at 10 O'Clock last
night. Mr.. Clark, the father of the young
man, is now at Shell Lake.
An inquest will be held at 2 O'Clock this
afternoon Brenk was arrested by Officer
Broker and he is held awaiting the result of
the inquest. The news of the sad affair was
broken to the young mans mother by Officer
Shorn and she is completely Frustrated. The
remains are in charge Leigh 81 Co., under
takers.