The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-11-05
permitted to desceaS like a flock of
buEIardr upon Washington, II viii DO
worse for the natiHp than II ws had
been beaten BY Spain In the war OF
1885, FqHfRLEs II. coE.
=. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Warning tudunters:
Beware OftYour Gun.
NIIf'Sri r.y'ifoS iaE''c'SirTTv .cTi.fIri
100 j

| ,sE4E m l-----Tror------ =
With the coming bt the game sea
son, which opens Isotnost of the states
In October. the newspapers regularly
begin the chronicle OF accidents from
firearms. These Accidents are as re-
current and as rrlHdently fatal as the
drowning catastr6fres of the swim
ming and boat!nggalson.
1t is likely ,hnt in the course Of n
year as many merpare killed by. the ac-
cidental dischnrsq9f firearms as were
shot In the entirs:Euban. campaign of
tho spanish-AmeDlan war. Modern
Improvements hnye removed great
many of the daRBTs. which formerly
were associated with the use Of guns,
SO that While theaQmay still occur ,ac-
cidents, probably nine-tenths of all
shooting fatalihes that happen are due
/ primarily to carc1Ssnessl Z,
| The testimony OF the Maine and Ad-
irondnck guides. 2pd, In fact OF nearly
every man who Gfs had q long eIpor-
! ience In dealing With amateur hunters.
10 that ninety out hf every hundred ac-
| biC dAS ff4sAShH ~ ioAioA aAiSS W
| to carelc.snsss. Srtt is a curious fact
men who are CAREFUL and pninstaklng
In the ordinary Occupations OF life be-
come danSerouslIJa8 when they go out
into the woods SF along the southern
duck streams foL 2 few days of shoot
ing. ia
Guns are left standing loaded In en-
posed places, are drawn. muzzlc fore
most through BRUSH fences, are loaded
carclessly Into w4gons or are thrown,
regardless Of qujtk acting locks, Into
the bottoms OF boats. Considering the
| extent to which eSen those OF consider
able experience are guilty Of these In
discretions. II Is surprising that there
are not more fatul accidents to be re-
corded In the cerss:se OF q season rather
than that there hle so many.
| With the 'up-t SSdate hammerless gun,
equipped with thh safety lock. there; Ia
not much danger1to the hunter In ofdi-
nary handling. But even such wea-
| pons the cautious or experienced hunts
man will not leave standing or lying
about his camp unless the charges are
drawn. The majority OF anteur hunt
ers, however. are not provided with
such weapons. and In using tho Old
fashioned SHOTGUN or rne the only
safe rule 10 70 exercise tho greatest
possible caution.
In The pussuieiof gans birda, witch
afford the greatsst atnornt oa tysoEt
to hunters. tro9aent olLnbsnJ q fe,ises
is BeoesSary phc3o fences Gfe OF all
kinds and patterus from tho primitive
brush Of rail structure to tho trinity
built dividing line OF boards q wtre
Ono OF tho nesVfTequent oausss Of &C.
cidents ID the ca7ole1o heIdinS or hand
ling OF guns n getting over. or through
one Of those feucea Many easea have
been recorded rchero untntaking men
their guns through otter them. In ouch
cases there is'osiwaye danger Of the
hammer or trigger catching on some
protrudinE twlg or point.
Another msthod to be avoided IN fence
climbing Is that Of holding the gun
down on O level with the knees. In this
case. II the man slips on pitches for
ward, the gun Is likely to be fired Into
his body. The only correct way Of hold
Ing the ordinary gun In climbing q
fence Is with the weapon across the
shoulder. stock: foremost and hammer
turned downward. in this case thare ID
very little danger Of any damage being
done, even though the 6un DO accident
aBy Discharged
In eoteing ont OF or Into q boat or
wagon the gun should never be drawn
out BY the barfel as there is always o
chance OF It catching on some obstruc-
ton and being fred. Nor should a
Loaded gun be thrown down. across the
tbwarts OF boat or into the bottom Of
wagon. for'9he same reason. In
handing a gul, to another person Il
should DO held well out from the body,
With the muESfe pointing upward, 60
that y d'schtaged Its conten's viii 20
Into the air nWhenever possible. the
i charge should DO Withdrawn from a eun
before 1t Is cgssfed about in either o
toat or q wagon. and always on laying
the weapon as!9e after days hunting
It should be uItocdcd.
When q party Of men are hunting to-
gcther In wooded country special care
should be taken 10 know the where
abouts OF tho other members OF the
party before discharglng a weapon in
any direction In walking through .
forest trail the gun should be held
with the muzZlc pointing UP and the
lock held close to the shoulder. where
there is no likelihood Of Its catching on
projecting tw!gs or branches. Finally
and most important OF all IN tho rule
which every, experienced hunter In
dorses: Never, Intentionally or unin-
tenuonnlly. POINT the mu1zle OF gun at
any person. -,
In the readlhr, these drectioas seem
so simple ns hardly TO be worth ex-
preston. but in PRACTICE they ara en-
tirely dirregardcd by q great muny
men who ought TO know better. Orc
need only read thc reports OF accidents
which aro ceSYain to DO published In
the nevspapSra every day from now 10
the end OF the hunting season to bs
convinced Of this. says an exchange.
. When the whitr OF q partridge is heard
almost unds7onc's feet. or when n deer
breaks coverisn few yards away. cven
the man wins III ordinarily cool headed
and careful may forgot himself and
blaze away regardless OF what may be
in range OF his IRE. Every region
where moose ~ deer are hunted has q
half-do2en s4slcs OF men who have
been killed hsS11rnistakc, for game, and
every man WHO has had much expert
ence In s'illl hunting knows how easy
1t Is 10 m!stfHe n human BainB for q
!. deer In the distancc and In tho uncer-
tain light OF the forest underground.