Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-05-11
PROBABLY FATAL.
CHARLES SHOEMAKER SHOWDOWN
ACCIDENTALLY.
A Drunken Portuguese Fools With
a Loaded Pistol, and it Ex-
plodes, With Sad Result.

About half-past o'clock last evening a
half-drunken Portuguese, who gives his
name as Martin Lavroni, entered the little
lunk-store on / street. near Fifth, kept by
Charles Shoemaker, and made a PROPOSE
ton to the latter to trade him certain
pistol for one in his possession, offering a
dollar ito boot" The parties began to
dicker over the matter, the Portuguese
meantime fumbling with his pistol. Shoe
maker turned for a moment in another
direction. and just as he wheeled about to
speak to Lavroni the pistol in the latter's
hand was discharged.
The bullet entered Shoemaker's right
breast, near the nipple, and he fell to the
floor with cry of pain. Lavroni, seeing
what he had done, started to run. but
Shoemaker's brother. who was near by.
supposing that an attempt at murder had
been made, seized q club and beat the
Portuguese over the head, injuring him
severely. He then turned his attention 10
his wounded brother, and Lavroni escaped
for the time being.
A carriage was called and the wounded
man placed therein and taken to the Re.
ceiving Hospital and City Physician
Nichols summoned. In the meantime
officer Simmons had found Lavroni on l
street, near the scene of the shooting, COW
cred with blood that streamed from several
severe scalp wounds, and arrested him.
The pistol, 49, caliber Harrington &
Richardson model, was found near the
door of the junk-house, where it had been
dropped or thrown by Lavroni.
Shoemaker was placed uDOn a he'd at fha
Receiving Hospital. and his wound exam
ined by Drs. Nichols and Huntington. The
wound was partially probed. bat the con-
dltlon OF the sufferer was such that it was
deemed prudent not to probe too far Dr.
Nichols would not express an opinion as
TO whether or not the bullet had penetrated
the lungs, but was of the opinion that it
had
Police Judge Buckley was sent for, and
Shoemaker, believing that he was about to
die, made a statement concerning the shoot
ing Lavroni was brought into his pres
ence, and the wounded man identified him
as the person who shot him. He said.
however, that Lavroni was drunk, and he
(Shoemaker) believed the shooting was &C.
cidental
Lavroni was questioned in regard to the
matter, but pretended ignorance of the
whole affair-at least he would not admit
that he fired the shot, accidentally or other
wise. The general impression among the
police and others is that the shooting was
simply one of those deplorable accidents
that so frequently result from the careless
handling of firearms.
AT midnight last night the wounded man
was quite comfortable, considering the fact
that no opiates had been administered. He
has resided in the alley between l and ],
Second and Third streets, and has two
brothers in this city, one of whom is quite
a boy. The little fellow visited the Re-
ceiying Hospital soon after his brother was
brought in. but his grief was of such de-
monstrative character that it was found
necessary to remove him.
Shoemaker's parents are dead, but he has
a sister by the name OF Nethercott residing
in Oakland. A brother of his was drowned
not long ago at Napa The probability is
that his wound is fatal, and he thinks SO
himself