Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-15
KILLED INSTANTLY.
Nine-Year-Old School Boy Shoots
Himself Before His Teacher.
LITTLE GROVER HUMMER THE VICTIM.
Almost Panic Created Among the
Pupils.
1T WAS AN CCIDENT.

A shocking accident, resulting In the
death Of Grover Hum mer, aged nine, oc-
Cured this morning in the Cranch public
school building, at the corner Of 18th and G
streets southeast. Shortly after o o'clock
the building rang with the report of pis-
tol and the pupils Of the third grade came
rushing panic stricken down the stairs.
Grover Hummer, while exhibiting a revol-
yer, accidentally shot himself in the fore
head and died almost Immediately.
The last bell for the assembling Of school
had rung and the pupils were in their seats
when Grover Hummer entered the school
room with a large revolver in his hand.
The teacher was In the hall at the time.
The little fellow stood at the heater and
proudly held the weapon aloft. One Of the
pupils rushed into the cloak room and call
ed for the teacher. exclaiming: Grover
Hummer has a pistol" When the teacher
appeared the little fellow, either through
fear or by accident. raised the pistol and
pulled the trigger. The ball entered the
forehead about the central point, and he
fell to the floor with blood gushing from
the ragged wound. The teacher ran at
once to the tiny form and tried to stay the
crimson flow. In a moment the school was
in an uproar Fifty little boys and girls
ran panic stricken from the room, crying
aloud.
A Panic Averted.
Realizing the awful results Of a panic the
teacher left the PROSTATE form and rushed
to the head of the steps. She called at the
top of her voice to the supervising princi-
pal Mrs. Peabody. and told her what had
happened All of the pupils in the building
by this time were aroused at the hurrying
sounds and frightened voices of the little
ones upstairs and rushed to the doors. The
teachers, however. were prepared-calmly
and deliberately they barred the entrance
and ordered the children in stern tones to
return to their seats, adding that only an
accident had happened upstairs to one of
the boys and that the building was all safe.
But for this prompt action a frightful
catastrophe might have resulted. The chill
dren returned to their seats with the ex-
ception OF those in the school room where
the accident occurred. They rushed pell-
nell down the staircase and stood huddled
together at the door like so many frighten-
ed sheep. Miss l.. j. Burroughs. the teacher
or the school, sent word to the children to
repair to the play room. She called to
three of the boys and dispatched one for a
doctor, one Tor policeman and the other
Tor the little boys father. Dr. John E.
walsh responded at once but when he ar
rived life was extinct. Supervising Prin-
cipal Freeman was also sent for and he
conveyed the remains to the little fellows
home, l2OI X street southeast
An Accident.
Deceased was one of the brightest pupils
in his class, endowed with a sunny dispo-
sition and universal favorite with both
pupils and teacher. There is no doubt that
the shooting an accident. The little
fellow was the son of George Hummer the
well known butcher in the Center Market
When Il reporter of The Star visited the
home of the bereaved family he found the
mother wild with anguish. The father stat
ed. in reply to question that the pistol
with which his son shot himself was one of
the Smith and Wesson pattern, 81 caliber
He kept 1t locked up in bureau drawer
The little fellow had evidently found 1t this
morning and took il to school to show the
boys
Coroner Woodward viewed the remains
and after questioning the teacher and sew
eral of the pupils decided that an inquest
Vas unnecessary and gave a certificate Of
death, due to an accident.