The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-23
SHOT WITH AN OLD PISTOL.
CHAs. WALLER FATALLY WOUNDED
WHILE HANDLING A REVOLVER.

TWO other Boys. W ere FIRING a
Pistol at Mark. Along the Track
East of wheaton strect-It Had Got
Out of order and Humphries Was
Trying to Fix 1t When IL
Fell From His Hand-In Falling
the Hammer struck the HAIL and
the Weapon Was ENpIoded-WaI-
Iers Had stopped 90 Catch II and
the Ball Entered His side.
An accident occurred on the Plant Sys-
TEN railway track, just east OF where u
crosses Wheaton street yesterday after
noon as a result OF which Charles Wal
Ter, lad of 10 years, was fatally injured.
He was taken to the Savannah Hospital
and died soon after he nad reached there,
without having recovered consciousness.
About O'Clock a gentleman. who had
been out to ThunderboIt and was return
ing to the city on horseback along Wheat
on street, had his attention attracted TO
group collected around some object that.
in the crowd he could not clearly dis
Germ, some two hundred PAGES from The
street and along the line Of The track. lie
forced his horse in the direction of the
crowd aud found the lad who had been
shot reclining in the arms of another lad,
James HUMPHREYS. a playmate and friend,
possibly two years older than Waller.
II needed but few a minutes investiga-
ton to assure the gentleman that the hoy
was badly wounded. He barred the body
where the pistol bail had penetrated and
saw the nature of the wound. The boy
who was with the one wounded and the
half dozen negroes who were standing
about were either too excl ed which was
probably the case with HUMPHREYS, or too
Indifferent, as seemed to be thc case win
The negroes 10 render any assistance. 1t
appeared that the accident had taken
place some distance further down the track
and that HUMPHREYS had carried his
wounded companion 10 the point at when
the party were when they were seen by
the passing horseman. The gentlemen did
not wait long, but putting spurs 10 his
horse, rode up Liberty street, and down
Habersham to the poice station, where
he reported the accident and The circum-
stances 10 Acting Sergeant Higgins. The
sergeant ordered the ambulance at once TO
the see ne and m0menet or two later nj
the patrol wagon and Policeman Collins
TO make an investigation. When Collins
reached the spot he directed that The
wounded boy he taken in the ambulance
TO the Savannah hospital while he placed
Humphries Under arrest until the manner
in which the accident had happened cou q
be looked into and the responsibility Tor
its occurrence determined.
Waller was gasping as he lay on the
stretcher in the ambulance and was un-
conscious. During the long ride TO the
hospital he grew gradually worse and died
within a minute or two after the hospl-
tai was reached He never recovered coin
seriousness and was never able even 10 tell
anything of the manner in which ne had
received the fatal wound.
In the meantime Patrcman Collins had
gone with his prisoner to the station house.
HUMPHREYS was so badly frightened that
he could give no ineligible account of the
accident, and. indeed in mis- fright, told
some stories that the facts viii not bear
out. 1t is possible, too, that he was con-
fused by the manner in which the ques-
lions were put to him and that had he
been permitted to tell his own story. in his
own way that the truth would have been
arrived al long before 1t actually was. The
boy at last managed to say that two other
lads. John and Robbie Snyder, had been
with him and Waller when the accident
occurred and knew how it had happened
These two boys were found at the home
of their father and were likewise p aoed
under arrest. After they had been brought
to the station house and permitted TO tell
their story. IL was found 20 coincide ideu-
ticalX with that HUMPHREYS was by this
time in a condition TO tell. The boys hal
no opportunity to compare notes and that
their stories are all alike is satisfactory
evidence that they are all true
1t appears that the four boys had gone
out along the railway track in the after
noon for the purpose of firing an Cd re-
volver, that Humphries had, at a mark
and for some time had been enjoying this
pastime The weapon used was a 32-calibe r
cheap revolver, likely to get out Of order
at almost any moment. This happened
and caused the accident HUMPHREYS hsd
the revolver in mis- hands and was trying
TO fix it SO that il would fire, something the
boys had not been able 20 accomplish
merely by pulling the trigger John Sny-
der had gone further down the track and
Waller tHumphries and Robbie Snyder
were the three that were together when
the accident occurred.
AS Humphries held the revolver in his
hand and pulled at one Of the cartridges
with the blade Of his knife, the weapon
dropped to the ground. As it fell the ham,
mer struck the rail of the track and the
explosion followed Waller had leaned
over to catch the revolver as it fell, and
the ball struck him in the right side, just
below the ribs. He fen to the ground in
great agony and ,ay there, pitifully gasp
ing out his life.
BY this time John Snyder had come back
and with his brother returned to their
home. fIumphres knelt by he side OF
his young comrade and eudeavored 20 ease
MS suHeflngS. W men ne saw thut ne eould
do nothing in this way, took him up in his
arms and started in this fashion IN the di-
rection of Wheaton street. The load was
too heavy for his weak strength, and he
had to put Waller on the ground and await
other assistance It came after the group
that had gathered attracted the attention
of the passing horseman and the latter had
notified the police Of the accident and the
need OF their assistance.
Coroner Goette was notified of the acct
dent soon otter the boys were arrested and
made such lnvestiga lion ~ the circum-
stances permitted. He decided that no
blame could attach TO the lads other per-
haps, than that they were careless, ana
instructed that the two Snyders be re-
leased. HUMPHREYS was kept at The sta
ton house until otter O'Clock, when he,
TOO was given his liberty The coroner
had him detained This long, not because
he thought him guilty of any Intentional
crime, but rather In the hope that an hour