The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-01-16
HEAD BLOWN OFF.
Horrible Accident In an East
Side Grocery.
Cord Shields Killed by Dis
charge of a Shotgun.
TO KILL A DOG.
That Was His Missio n When
He Met Death.
Bystanders We're Bespattered
With His Brains.
Weapon Was Discharged by q
Falling Hatchet.

A shotgun charge intended for an an
noying dog blew out the brains of Cord
Shields, a young man 20 years of age,
in the grocery store of NJ. S. Burgess
at the corner of Fourth and Locust
streets about 9 o'clock this merning.
Shields was standing with his head
directly over the barrels of the gun
when small hatchet accidentally
struck one of the gun hammers with
sufficient force to effect a discharge.
The shot entered just above the left eye.
tearing off the entire top of the head
and scattering the boys brains on the
ceiling, walls and counters of the store
and over the clothing of man stand
ing near.
Shields sank to the floor without a
moan, and in an instant ceased to
breathe. What brains remained in the
shattered skull rolled out of their rest
ing place and under the counter the
boy was leaning against when the hor-
ribIe accident occurred.
The hatchet that discharged the gun
was lying on the top of a cracker box
directly by the side of the young man.
Whether he knocked it off by striking
the box with his leg or was in the act
of picking it up when it fell. is not
the hammer, forcing it back far enough
to cause it to explode the cartridge as it
snapped back in place.
Young Shields was the son of a Santa
Fe shop employe who lives at 404
Branner street. He has had no regular
employment, simply doing such work
as he could find from time to time.
This morning he had nothing to do, and
decided to put in a portion of his time
in killing the family dog, which had
kept him and parents awake for the
past several nights by continued bark
ing
This decision was responsible for his
death After loading his fathers shot
gun and whistling the dog-to his size,
he started from home With the inten-
| tion of proceeding east to the city lim-
it's He was in no hurry, and when he
reached the Burgess grocery store at
| the corner of Fourth and Locust streets
he went inside, calling the dog in after
him.
There were two men in the store, E.
Sedore and Curtis Hicks, besides the
proprietor, when he entered. Sedore
was standing in the rear of the store
near the stove, and young Shields walk
ed back and took a position beside him.
leaning against the counter that runs
along the south side of the store. The
loaded gun he rested against his side
with the butt on the floor.
The condemned dog followed the boy
to the rear of the store and lay down
not far. from. him. Shields pointed to
the animal and said to Sedore:
There's the meaneSt dog in town.
| I'm going to finish him with this" and
he tapped the barrel of the gun.
Whats he been doing?" asked Sc
dore.
Been barking around home every
night as hard as he could bark" an
swered Shields. He's kept me and the
| folks awake now for several nights and
! yesterday 1 said if he barked last night
L would take him out east today and
| kill him.
I 'spose he barlxed worse last night
| than ever,'S said Sedore.
That's just what he did. Kept me
! awake pretty near all night with his
bowling. He won't keep me awake any
| more, though"
Say. that gun amt loaded. is it ?"
yes, it's loaded" replied Shields.
What do you want to know for?"
Nothing particular, only I wouldn't
! hold it right under my nose that way if
| / was you"
s.Pshaw, I'm not afraid Of it going
! Off" remarked the boy IF person
knows how to handle a gun there amt
| no danger"
Sedore looked toward the front Of the
| store and said nothing in reply to
! Shields last statement. He heard a
| movement as Shields shifted the posi-
| tion of his feet on the floor, and a min
I the hatchet struck the hammer, fol-
lowed instantly by the roar of the gun
as the cartridge exploded.
| The tragedy was over in minute.
| Without making a sound of any kind
| the unfortunate boy sank into a 1ifeless
| heap on the floor while his brains es-
| capped from the skull torn open as If it
| had been eggshell.
! When the explosion occurred Sedore
| felt something strike him in the face
| When he sufficiently recovered from the
shock he found that his face and cloth
ing were spattered with the boys brains.
| Particles of brain matter were on the
| ceiling above where the boy was stand
| ing, on the wall behind him and on the
| counter against which he had been
leaning.
The three men in the store picked up
! the body and laid it on one of the coun-
/ ters. The brains that were not thrown
out by the explosion were picked up
and placed in a wrapping of brown pa
per by the side of the body. Then the
| police and the coroner were notified.
| The boys mother was not acquainted
with her sons horrible death until after
the body had been removed to the
| Stoker undertaking establishment. She
| was prostrated by the news.
| An inquest was held this afternoon at
| 1 o'clock and a verdict of accidental
| death rendered.
| The Shields family is in poor circum-
stances. Cord was the eldest child, and
| as far as he was able helped in the sup
| port of the family.
Jewelry Company Fails.