The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-08-29
AFEARFUL ERROR.
C. Frank SeeIins shoots and Kills FRANK
psttcbone by Accident.

pcttcbOuc BY Accident.
Yesterday morning between the hours
NJ and ) o'clock the little town Oh
Naltby, Just above Kingston. was tle
scene Of a horrible accident, which cose
the life of Frank Pettebohe. you"s
wan % wears of age, employed as a
clerk at the Maltby colliery OF the Lee
high Valley Coal company. lie was
SON of Walter Pettebone, OF wyoming
avenue, Dorranceton. Pettebone WAS
AT his desk yesterday morning win
John Young, the other clerk. when u
party of the company's engineers from
the main office in Wilkes-Barre entere"
the colliery office before going Inside
the mine to do some surveying. The
engineers stood around in the office be-
fore going, and chatted for few mo-
ments with the clerks. one of the en-
gineers. c. Frank Seeling. of Isl East
Market street, Wilkes-Rarre. took
down a Spencer magazine carbine from
the wall and began to examine II. IL Is
a heavy weapon. that shoots 5o-cailpre
ball, and is the same as Is kept AT near
" all the offices Of the Lehigh valley
collieries. Seeling peeped through the
barrel, and saw that there was no cart
ridge inside. He was unfamiliar with
the workings of the magazine. and
probably did not know that when he
had pulled the lever he had pushed
loaded cartridge into the barrel.
No one paid any particular attention
to Seeling and all were startled by
loud report. which came when he
pressed the trigger of the weapon.
Pettebone fell forward on the desk at
which he was working. without word.
and then dropped heavily to the floor.
The desk was overed with blood which
poured from wound In his head. and
u al In q lar al IN n
floor near the foot of the desk. All
who We're In the office Were startled at
the sight, but quickly realized what had
happened They ran 10 Pettebone's as
sistance and found that the huge ball
had torn through his head and entered
sdewise and partly from behind. The
bullet had gone right through the
brain, and Pettebone probably never
knew what had happened. DR.. Hayes,
the nearest physician. was called in at
once, and saw there was no hope. The
wounded man neither moved nor spoke
from the time of the infliction OF the
wound at o'clock, and his death about
two hours later.
When Seeling realized what he had
done. he was in an agony of despair
DR.. Hughes face told him that he had
unintentionally given death wound to
u friend, and he grew pale, seized the
gun which had been the agent of Pet
tebone's death, and tried to shoot him
self with 1t. The other engineers of the
corps seized him, and endeavored to
quiet him, but he would not hear them,
ana continued to struggle until his
fellow workmen tied his hands and
feet. and laid him on the floor
In the meantime word had been sent
to Assistant Superintendent Fred M.
Chase. of the Lehigh Valley Coal COM
pany, Superintendent Lathrope being
out of town. Mr.. Chase went to the
colliery at once. and had the body of
Pettebore removed to the house of
William Mcdonald, on owen street,
Maltby. where Pettebone had been
boarding during the absence of his
parents at Harveys Lake. Drs. Sing
er and Thompson, of Forty Fort. were
sent for at once, but could do nothing
for the unfortunate young man, who
died In the ambulance before he
reached his fathers house in Dorrance-
ton. Superintendent Chase had tele.
graphed to Mr.. and Mrs Pettebone at
Harvey's Lake, and they came on at
once. but did not arrive until after
their sons death. Pettebone was an
Industrious and popular young man,
well liked by his employers and
friends, and his death Is a great shock
to all of them. He had been employed
by the Lehigh Valley Coal company
about a year and a half
Mr.. Chase also arranged to have n
closed carriage at Malty, and Secling
was taken from there to the county
jail. as he was in no condition for a
hearing. Yesterday afternoon. when
Seeling had calmed himself somewhat,
he was brought down from the jail by
Warden BOland before Judge Bennett
for a habeus corpus hearing. The de-
fendant was represented by Attorneys
Woodward and Davis and District At
tOrney Fell represented the prosacu-
ton. Seeling sat pale and nervous,
next his friend Robert Mercur. The
poor fellow was keeping up with dif-
ficulty. and his eyes looked red and
swollen. Mr.. Mercur silently comfort
ed him by the grasp Of his hand and
the scene was pitiful.
G. A. Brown. Frank Gardner, Lew
1yn Owens. Reese Thomas. members Of
the engineer corps testified that the
affair was purely accfdential-that
Selling did not point the gun at all
and had looked through the barrel to
see that It was empty. Judge Bennett
the testimony sufficient,
and Seeling was released on bail,
which was furnished at once.