The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1898-09-20
NO CHANCE FOR RECOVERY
Trouble Grew Out Of Dispute at Com
pany Kitchen.
MCLUNG CAME 70 GET SUPPER
Best Piece of Meat-Dispute Then
Arose, and McClung Armed
Himself and Returned.

The most deplorable tragedy which has
happened since the First Alabama has been
a regiment, occurred yesterday noon at
Camp Falkner, when Private David ID. Nc
Chung shot and fatally wounded Private J.
M. Slate. Both men belong to Company
NJ
Slate the injured man. lived in Pratt
City for about three years before he en-
listed, and by trade a miner. He came
originally from Dalton, Ga, wrere he was
a farmer. He has relatives living there.
He was quite popular with his comrades.
McClung is a member of one of the INST
prominent families in Tennessee, he hay-
ing come to Birmingham from Knoxville.
He is cousin of McClung, one of Yale's
most famous foot ball players, and Is re-
lated to many other prominent people of
Il at name.
The trouble all grew out of a dispute at
the company kitchen. Slate was one of the
cooks, and was engaged in serving out tho
supper to the men. McClung came up to
the pot when his time came, ard was fish
ing around, it is said, to find the most de-
sirable piece of meat. Slate objected, and
ordered him not to handle the meat
In the dispute which followed. 1t Is said
that McClung grabbed up a sharpening
steel and that Slate then seized a butcher
knife. According to witnesses, Slate then
said, Get out of here, you -"
McClung dropped his steel, went on up
the company street to the first sergeant's
tent, where he seized hold of the first gun
he found, which happened to belong to
Private Claud Tyson He walked back
down to the company kitchen, after having
slipped a cartridge into the rifle.
According to the best evidence obtaina-
BILE, when he arrived near the kitchen, in
front of which Slate was standing, he
cooked the rifle and was raising it as IL to
shoot, when Slate picked up the butcher
knife off the ground where he had dropped
it, and sprang at McClung with all his
energy to turn aside the rifle. But the lat
ter was too quick for him, and disohafg-
I ed the rifle, when Slate was only about
four feet aawy.
Below the Heart
The bullet entered States body just be-
low the heart, and tearing through the left
lung, came out of the back near the spinal
column. He fell immediately. Every msdt-
cal attention was shown him, but 1t was
soon evident that he could not live. He
was conscious, though very weak. AT last
accounts from camp he was still alive, but
with only one chance in hundred to ,e-
cover.
MoClung was placed under arrest at once
and brought into the city under strong
guard, where he was confined in the county
Jail. The formal warrant for his arrest, was
sworn out last night by Adjutant Lucien
Brown. 1t was thought last night that the
preliminary hearing would be held this
morning at O'clock He will be given
civil trial and will not be courtmartiaed
McClung refused to make any statement
for publication last night, but 1t is said that
his defense will be that he was compelled
to shoot in self-defense.
Meetings. friends claim for him that his
mad act was the result of a long spell of
nervous proStration from which he is lust
recovering. About five weeks ago he became
so sick that he was compelled to enter the
division hospital at Manu. and he has been
there since that time, until just before the
regiment left Jacksonville. He came up
from that city on the hospital train last
Saturday. He has been in an extremely
nervous state ever since.
McClung is by profession a teacher and
lecturer on the game of whist, and is an
expert on that game. He is a man of splen-
did education and of refined manners
When Company M, the Clark Rifles, from
Pratt City and Taladega was organized
McClung was made quartermaster sergeant
of the company. This position he filled up
in Miami.
'a4--l.-l--i-