The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-09-26
FATAL RIVALRY
OF TWO PR|VATES
Edward A. O'Neill Killed
John Lunsford.
A RESULT OF COMPETITION
CALIFORNIA VOLUNTEERS TRY
FOR SUPREMACY.
During a Final Test Of Skill in
Handling Guns One Of the
Competitors Is Shot in
the Heart.
A RESULT OF COMPETITION
CALIFORNIA VOLUNTEERS TRY
FOR SUPREMACY.
BY SOL N. SHERIDAN.
Special Correspondence of The Call.

CAMP DEWEY, l.iti the American
my Of Occupation before Manila.
August 10-One of those sad tragedies
which it seems we human freight can
not prevent occurred in camp tonight.
throwing a whole regiment into
mourning Private Edward A. O'Neill
of Company H, First California Volun-
teers, was shot and '~s.antly killed by
Private John Lunsford of the same
company. The bullet passed through
o .Seills left arm, entering the left
breast, piercing the heart and going
clear through the body, coming out on
the right side.
The shooting was the result of one Of
those accidents always the more deeply
regretted because it seems to the
friends of the man shot that the mereSt
trif1e of care would have prevented a
fatal result.
1t seems that ONeill and Lunsford
for several days past have had a
friendly rivalry as to which was the
quicker man in going through the
favorite pastime just before drill to-
night, Private James Dodini giving
them the calls, and O'Neill had proved
himself the quicker of the two.
Let me try the firing drill" Luns-
ford said. Il can beat you at that"
Very well,' O'Neill agreed, and Do
DIM gave the words:
Present arms! Ready! Load Aim!
Fire!"
A shot rang out, a bullet whistled
through the camp, and o -Ieill, a gap
ing hole in the left breast, fell dead.
and Lunsford fell beside his victim in a
dead faint. He had been too eager. He
had suffered for moment from men
tai alteration. One OF his comrades had
even seen him drop the shell into his
gun, and had sprung forward. too late
to save O'Neill.
Lunsford had heen too quick alto
gether for his future peace of mind.
/ saw him Immediately after the
body of his victim had been carried
away, in Captain Warren's tent. He
did not then know O'Neill was dead.
When Colonel Smith informed him of
the fact, he broke down, weeping like
a child.
my Cod" he cried MY God! 1
did not know what I was doing; l was
excited I had been drinking" This,
by the way, was said in attempted ex-
PLANTATION, and is not true. 1t has been
proved that Lunsford had not taken
Il knew the gun was loaded. 1t
seemed to get away from me. / do not
know how I did 1t.
Later he made a somewhat more CO.
herent statement, but after all the man
could not tell why he had put the shell
in his gun. The men had always been
friends, and were, in fact. all but
chums. O'Neill was one Of the most
popular boys In the regiment, one of the
coolest heads, and Lunsford Is we'll
liked. 1t seems to have been trick
of unkind fate.
H. x,Ir i,,%>
custody and held pending an investiga-
ton, although / do not well see how
anything can be done to him. He is
almost insane, as 1t is, from vain re-
morse.
MANILA Aug. 19.-The colonel of the
Second Oregon Regiment has written
the following letter concerning little
incident that occurred during the at
tack on Manil
SECOND REGIMENT.
OREGON U. S. ". MANILA. P. l.. August
Proprietor of The San Francisco Call-Sir: I
have the honor to express my deep gratitude
under your contract, while in the bay of Man
lila during the final capture of that city August
49, Being on board the kwong Hol with the
direction of General Merritt, and having only
one rowboet board the ship. and being
stranded owing to low water within 200 feet of
a suitable landing place, we were entirely at the
mercy of these conditions when your launch
under the control of Mr.. Baeringer came along
side within hailng distance and he promptly
responded and took ashore, and by so do
ing placed me in position whereby / could
press into service some castros and launches.
which enabled me to get my command ashore
without dslay, your launch cooperating in every
detail in assisting in the landing of the troops.
/ make this acknowledgment to you an
on my part and the part of the
Government in rendering valuable assistance
yours respectfully, o. SUMMERS,
Colonel Second Regiment. Or. u. S. V.
l. ma q r..