Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-08-08
SAD SHOOTING AFFAIR.
Further Particulars Regarding the
shooting of w. y. Hemingway
Conflicting StOries-YOunsM Man
brought to santa Fe-May
Recover.

The New MEXICAN yesterday afternoon
recorded the fact that Will s. Heming.
way, son of the late U. s. Attorney Hem.
ingway and grandson of Senator George
of Mississippi, was shot through the
right lung at Pecostown, about O'Clock
yesterday morning. The meager de.
tails then procurable indicated that the
wound was accidentally inflicted, but
later information seems to shroud the
unfortunate affair in mystery and casts
some doubt upon the theory of accidental
shooting.
AS soon as the sad and startling news Of
the shooting was wired to this city from
Glorieta, Sheriff Cunningham aud DR.
Knapp started for Pecostown with fast
team, reaching the bedside of the wound
ed and suffering young man soon after
o'clock yesterday afternoon. They found
him in a distressingly bad condition. He
was lying upon mattress on the floor OF
a room in which dance had occurred the
night before and had received no proper
attention for over twelve hours after be.
ing hurt. Naturally he was tortured with
pain and very weak from loss of blood
The doctor promptly cleaned out and
dressed the wound and administered suot
remedies as were possible to make his
patient comfortable.
Recognizing the necessity of moving
the wounded man to place where ht
could be properly cared for, he decided
to take him on mattress in convey
ance to the railroad station seven miles
below at Glorieta, and thence bring him
by rail to Santa Fe. This was according
ly done. He reached Santa Fe with hi
patient at 2 O'Clock this morning, and
st. Vincent hospital being full, took thu
injured man to the residence of DR.. eros
son, where quiet room and a good bee
had been provided for him, Sister Vic
toria kindly offering to provide such at
tendance as might be necessary.
| The young man stood the trying triI
as well as could have been expected, and
although his condition is pronounced
precarious, the doctors have by no means
abandoned hope of his recovery.
The wound is bad one and the Ions
hours that elapsed before it received at
tention reduce the chances of recovery
1t was evidently inflicted with 45-calibre
pistol. The bullet entered about two
inches below the right clavic'e, Travelled
downward at an angle of about twenty
degrees and outward through the lung, ant
emerged under the right shoulder blade
Its path Is smooth and clean-cut. Tht
fact that no powder marks were discov
cred on the body, together with the othe
circumstances noted, would naturally
lead to the conclusion that the shot wal
fired from distance of at least eight Of
ten feet away.
But the wounded man says that tn,
pistol that injured him was accidental,
discharged while in his hands; that h,
and others from Santa Fe attended
dance in Pecostown during the evening
that, after the dance broke up, he stepped
outside of the hall into the darkness; tina
he was twirling his pistol on his thumt
when it was discharged into his body
This story seems incredible to the doc
tors and others familiar with the natur,
of his wound.
Since the foregoing was placed in type
information comes to the NEW MExIoAr
that partly explains the mystery indi
Gated. 1t appears that, hearing of thu
shooting in Ell Paso yesterday morn
ing by wire, Mr.. j. G. LEVEL, o
San Antonio, Texas, cousin of the wounet
man, came Immediately to Santa Fe
reaching this CITY on the same train will
young Hemingway. Being advised b.
the doctors that Willis story was not cred
tied, Mr.. LEVEL frankly told his cousin
as much, and urged him to tell how tn
shooting occurred. Will then admitted
that he did not shoot himself; that, dur
ing the dance already mentioned, he ha,
one or two alterations with native resi-
dents of the neighborhood; that effort
we're made to take his gun away from
him; that, after the dance was over, h
stepped around the corner of the build
ing in the darkness and was shot by IN
known hands; that, realizing the necee
sity of help, he made his way back to tn
dance hall as soon as possible; that at tn
door he was accosted by several meI
strangers to him, who insisted that he sho
himself; that he finally adopted thi
method of explaining the affair.
1t is understood that one partridge wa
missing from Hemingway's pistol, bu
the shell was also gone and the weapon
showed no signs of having recently bee
fired. Sheriff Cunningham has the in
jured mans pistol and also the bullet
which was extracted from the side of tn
building, and doubtless he will be able /
shed more light upon the affair when h
returns to the city by wagon road.
Hemingway had lost 80 much bloo
before DR.. Knapp reached him that tn
vital fluid had soaked through the be,
clothing and mattress to the floor below
This, together with the terrible shocl
and subsequent suffering, rendered hin
so weak that the physicians wisel,
forbid his seeing any outsiders. He wa
delirious during the latter part of tn,
night, but is perfectly conscious an,
rational to-day. His temperature wa
1902 2-5 about noon and HIS pulse wal
alarming. He is receiving every possibl,
care.
Sheriff Cunningham arrived in the cit,
about 2 O'Clock this afternoon. He say
that, according to the statements of ter
or more people at Pecostown, Heming
way repeatedly spoke of shooting him
self. 1t also seems that he told A. P. Hill
soon after the shooting that he supposed
he shot himself. His talk to Judge
Laughlin and the sheriff this afternoon il
somewhat Eighty, but indicates that he
does not know how the shooting occurred
Mr.. Hemingway had completed all ar
rangements to administer on his late
fathers estate on Monday. His share
thereof is about $4,000 in cash.
Sincere sympathy is expressed or
every hand for the mother, sister and
brother of the dangerously wounded
young man. They are now at their ole