Birmingham age-herald., 1894-10-07
Which May, Terminate the Ex- istenc of a Beloved Son
 How It Occurred.

Ore of the most deplorable accidents ever recorded in the annals of this city occurred about 10 o'clock last night, and today a father is almost maniac, an invalid mother frantic with grief and a. large iam- fly of children almost beyond reconcilia- tion. seiss
 Charles J. Martin, one of the best known citizens of this city, mstook his son, John M., lad of 20, for another person and shot him in the right breast, producing what is thought to be a fatal wound.
 The shooting is deplorable, and the more so when it is known that the father was under the influence, of intoxicating liquor W hen the shot was fired.
 Yesterl lay afternoon MT. Martin, who is justice of the peace, and usually sober, industrious man, began drinking. His sons hearing of it hunted him uo and be- sought him to go home. Ther efforts were for long time futile, but late in ihe night two of them, Masons and John M., finally induced him to allow them to take him home.
 When in front of Solomon's saloon on Twenty first street, between First and Second avenues, and while the two sons were walking along quietly with their father, an unknown man rushed out of the bar room and remarked, with an oath, '.You have insulted me- and immedi- ately dealt MT. Martin blow in the face, which sent him to the pavement. When MT. Martin regained his feet the man, with pistol in one hand, hit him. another lick in the face, again sending him to the ground. - 5,.g
 Seeing the pistol in the hand of the at- kill his father, John Martin, drew pistol and fired twice at his fattier's asssiIant.
 Mir. Martin, under, the Influence of whisky, thinking il was the man firing at him, drew pistol and fred. But un-- fortunately it was his own dear son who seriously wounded.
 The attacking party immediately made off and it was not learned ii either of the bullets fired by John Martin had taken1 ef- feet.
 As soon as possible the wounded boy was taken to Dr. Heflin s office, over abers, Morrow & Sinnige's drug store aud other physicians hastily appeared to render what assistance they could to pr. Hefiin in his efforts to alleviate his sufferings. s
 The ball entered the body about 2 inches below and h inch to the right of the right breast snd entered the cavity.
 An AGE- HERALD reporter repaired to the room as soon as possible and there beheld 8 sight hsartrsnding s ling arna in the ,eSn ehtrems m Martin writhfng' in great sgony, by his side his devoted brother, Mason, and on a chair near by sat the father, almost crazed with grief over an accident which he would most gladly have given his own life to have been able to recall.
 A number of friends of the anguished father and son and the wounded lad were gathered in the adjoining room with blanched faces, witnessing the great mental suffering of the father and listening to the efforts of the wounded boy in his efforts to calm the heart breaking grief of his be- loved father, on whose shoulders he laid no blame for the fatal shot, which the phy- sicia ns, among themselves, decided would terminate his life.
 About o'clock this morning the follow ing physicians made an examination of the wound and extracted the bullet: Drs. Wy att Hefin, Brown, Wilson and others.
 Alter the bullet was extracted and the flow of blood stopped the physicians unan- imously decided that the wounded lad had a chance for recovery.
 At 2:05 o'clock this morning John Mar tin was taken to the family residence, att tended by a number of friends and the phy sician, Dr. Wyatts Heflin. At that hour the patient was resting as we'll as possible under the circumstances and hopes are very favorable for his ultimate recovery.