The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-11-21
KILLED HER CHILD IN PLAY.
Little Philadelphia Boy Dies From a
Toy Pistol Wound.

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 21.-With a little
rusted pistol, the kind used by youngsters
in celebrating the Fourth Of July, Mrs.
Donald Mccormick shot and killed her
Twenty-Five months-old child, Harold, on
Monday afternoon, at her home, 1914 Dia-
mond Street. Coroner Dugan investigated
the case and is satisfied that the shooting
was entirely accidental.
The physicians, hastily Summoned. reaIlz-
ed at once that the child was fatally injur-
ed Then they directed their attentions to
Mrs. Mccormick, who had tainted. She I'm
ally regained consciousness, but 1t was
seen that the shock had almost erazed her.
All of Monday night and yesterday her con-
dition was considered critical. Her mind
was riveted on the accident and her suffer
ing was 50 great that at times the physi-
clans feared that she would go insane.
With his wife. his two children and bis
mother-in-lsw and father-in-law, Donald
Mccormick lives III the Diamond Street
house. Mccormick is employed in the
business Office Of morning newspaper.
Mrs. Mccormick. whose maiden name was
Russell, is very pretty woman, with light
hair, and is about twenty-seyen years old.
AT about o'clock on Monday afternoon.
n.
and The two boys. Russell, four years old,
and Harold. were in the second-story front
bedroom. Russell ran upstairs and pres
emily came down carrying a chiId's trunk
There is nothing in there You want,
said his mother.
Yes, there is. This is what 1 was look
ing for said the boy as he pulled out the
10Y pistol Putting his hand in his pocket
he said Here are some caps / had left
from the Fourth Of July. Let US shoot
them of"
Mrs Mccormick pulled up the trigger
and placed one of the little fat caps in
the pistol. Then she pulled the trigger.
The explosion scared Harold and he ran
tc his grandmother, jumping en- her lap.
While his mother fired on three more
caps Harold stuck his fingers into his
ears and appeared thoroughly scared.
Don't be afraid. these won't hurt you,
his mother said, and she arranged anoth-
er cap She pulled the trigger and with
a loud scream the boy fell to the floor.
The mother could not understand H.
She ran over and leaned down beside
the child. She went TO pick him up ia
her arms, supposing him only to be
frightened. He was lying face down. As
she touched his head the mother felt the
blood, which was gushing from a wound
in the temple Mrs Mccormick fell to
the floor senseless, while her mother ran
into the drug store Of John N G. Long,
next door.
The druggist sent word to DR.. A. r.
Raincar and DR.. s J. Bittelson. After
caring for the child the physicians di-
rected their attention to Mrs. McCor-
mick. The boy grew weaker and weaker,
and at o'clock on Monday evening he
died
Efforts were made to keep the affair
as quiet as possible. Although one OF
the deputies of the coroner made an in
vestigation on Monday night, no report
of the shooting was made at police head
quarters, and i was not until the cor
o1er's Office was opened yesterday that
the facts became known Why the cart
ridge did not explode when the first cap
was shot OF is mystery II is said that
Mrs. Mccormick pulled up the trigger
just far enough to make the cap 90 of
When shooting the fifth cap il is proba-
ole that Mrs. Mccormick raised the trig-
ger higher, with the result that the con-
cussion was sufficient to explode the cart
ridge