The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-13
SHOT HER BABY BROTHER
A LITTLE GIRLS UNHAPPY BLUNDER
OUT AT CHRIST. Louis FARM.
Margaret DriscOII Was Trying to
Amuse the Child with a Flo
bert Rifle.

While attending the funeral of Howard
T. Hansing, the man killed at Lawrence
Saturday night by George White, five-year-
old Margaret Driscoll accidentally shot and
instantly killed her four-months-old brother
with fiobert rifle.
Mrs. Cornelius Driscoll 1241 Nordyke ave-
nue, is cousin Of the man who was killed
at Lawrence and she attended the funeral,
which occurred yesterday afternoon. Her
father, Christian F. Lout, is a brother of
young Hansing's mother, and the nearest
neighbor to the Hansings, their farms ad-
Joining, and the two houses less than half
a mile apart. AS has been the custom of
Mrs. Driscoll when going to visit her father.
she rode to Brightwood on the street car
and there she was met by team from the
farm and conveyed to the home. which is
nearly three miles northeast of Brightwood.
and about the same distance from Law
renee. The farm IS not on the main road.
The two grandchildren accompanied their
other, and were soon enjoying to the
greatest extent the freedom of large
green lawn. There were other visitors at
the house. as consequence of the funeral
of the relative, and the children were asked
tc wait until the older people had eaten.
had been named. was taken into a room
adjoining the dining room and laid upon a
bed, in the hopes that it might sleep. The
little girl was placed in the room to watch
and play with it.
The farmers in that vicinity have been
troubled lately by chicken thieves and sew
reused in the middle of the night by the
nf fox
of the chickens have been missed on the
morning following these disturbances. He
finally secured an old flobert rifle which had
been about the farm for years. and after
cleaning it. loaded it and placed it upon
visit of the thieves. They failed to again
make their appearance, and the mother
took the gun, still loaded, and set it in the
corner.
Nothing more was thought of the matter,
and yesterday, when the children were sent
TO this room, the gun was not even remem-
bered. But when the child became restless
and began to cry, little Margaret spied the
gun in the corner and considered II good
plaything for a restless child. She says
she first opened the chamber, and saw no
shell. Thinking that it was safe, she play
fully pointed it at her brother, in the houes
of either frightening him into silence, or In
teresting him in the weapon. The weapon
was accidentally discharged, the bullet
striking the baby in the forehead almost
exactly between the eyes. 1t went clear
through the little head and before any
one could be summoned the baby was dead.
When the sister realized what she had
done she ran screaming into the adjoining
room where the family had just set down
to the dinner table The grandfather and
mother ran to the room and found the baby
bleeding and dead and others took the
grief-stricken girl and tried to pacify her.
When she learned that the little brother
was dead she became hysterical and for a
time her condition was considered critical.
A new sorrow was added to the family
the murdered relative was abandoned. I'm
dertaker Whitsett. who had charge of the
funeral of Hansing, was called and brought
the body from the country to the home in
West Indianapolis. The grandfather went
ahead and broke the news to the father,
who had remained at work. He is employed
as a driver by I[lee & Coleman.