The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-01-02
FATAL HUNTING TRIP
George Newell Killed by Dis
charge of Rife.
ACCIDENT is MYSTERIOUS
Coroner's Jury investigating
Funeral at 2 O'Clock.

Another hunting trip has resulted fatally
in this locality, and this time a young
mans life has gone out in it's prime as
result Of the supposed accidental dis
charge of rifle. Sunday afternoon at 5
o'clock. George Newell. % years old, and
one of the best known young men in the
city, was killed by the discharge OF a
rife at the home of his parents, Mr..
and Mrs. NJ. E. Newell. at PA North
Washington avenue. The young man had
been out hunting all day in company
with his younger brother, Owen. who
operates the ruling machine in the Eagle
bindery. They had had an interesting
trip and George seemed to be IN the best
of spirits, although he had been ailing
for two or three days past. AS they
reached home Owen took the horse 10 the
barn. while George took both guns and
entered the house. One OF the guns he
left in the dining room where his father
was sitting and with the other, a Seal
iber single-barrel Winchester. he passed
the door closed between him and his
father the report of the gun was heard
and his body fell limp upon the floor.
Mr.. Newell ran into the room and found
his son bleeding from the head. He knelt
down and lifted mis- head to his lap. but
he was dead. Not a word was uttered
and life had passed so quickly that not
even a faint recognition was left for the
family, who gathered about the body. An
examination OF the death wound showed
that the ball had entered the head just
above the right ear and ranged upward.
The skull was crushed and shattered by
the ball and the wounds were ugly and
large. After passing through the head
the ball tore place in the plaster of the
ceiling and buried itself in the wood. The
gun had the safety attachment and is
supposed to be absolutely safe from any
accidental discharge
The body was removed to Dunbar's IN
dertaking room and prepared for burial.
A coroner's jury was summoned yester-
day morning to look into the cause Of
death, as it was considered very difficult
to find any evidence of accidental dis
charge of the gun, and yet the opinion of
suicide which was advanced by some,
seems to be groundless. 1t was so hard
to decide the manner of death that the
coroner's jury was in session all day I'M
til o'clock in the afternoon, when the
jury went in body to the scene Of the
accident to view the surroundings. DR..
Jordan was also employed to make a post
mortem examination which he did yester-
dav afternoon.
Mr.. NJ E. Newell. father Of the dead
man, stated the facts of the accident to
a reporter for the Eagle. He says there
is absolutely no foundation for the sui
eide theory, although he himself cannot
exactly explain the accident. The only
theory he has is that when George en-
tered the room he must have been drag
gng the gun and carelessly swung 1t
with the door in shutting the door after
him, when the hammer must have hit
the door and discharged the rife. Mr..
Newell says the mark of the hammer can
be detected upon the door. Another the
DRY is that the hammer might have
caught in the tapping of the leggings
which George was wearing, and in his
hurry to set the gun aside the hammer
resting in the tapping might have hung
and been the means of discharging the
gun.
The young man was a member Of tie
A. O. L. W. and National Reserve asso-
ciation He had only recently Joined the
A. o. L. W. and it is understood held
q policy for 5000 in that order payable
to his mother. 1t is not known what in
surance he had in the National Reserve,
but It is thought he was only social
mmeber in that order. having Joined 1t
last July. At the time OF his death he
had in his pocket an application for mem
bership in the Modern Woodmen OF Amer
lea which was filled out ready to be act
ed upon at the next meeting OF the lodge.
He has the reputation of having been a
very bright and industrious young man,
and for three years had been employed in
the freight department OF the Santa Fe
as shipping clerk.
The funeral services viii be held at the
First Methodist Episcopal church at
O'Clock this afternoon, and the funeral
will be under the auspices Of the A. o. L.
W. Rev. W 3. Slutz Will preach the
funeral sermon and the ri;ua'istie work
OF the order will be carried out at the
grave