Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1901-10-18
SHOT HIS COMPANION
CharIestoWn, N. H., Boy Died A.
ter Awful Suffering.


II. Fatally Wounded, Dragged Him.
self to Nearest House, Two Miles
Away.
William Short, II, died at O'Clock
Sunday morning in Charlestown N. H..
from the effects Of "A wound I'm the
abdomen caused by the accidental dis
charge of a small calibre rifle i'm the
hands Of George. Whitney, 10 years old.
Short suffered terribly before he died
He was shot at 10 o'clock Friday
morning in a woodot on the hills. and
soon after left there by his companions
none of whom were more than y years
old. They did not realize the extent OF
his injuries or If they did were too
much frightened over what had hap
pened to tell any one about the acct
dent.
The Short boy had to make his way
back to house on the outskirts of the
village without assistance and SUFFERING
eXcruciating agony The bullet went
| through the abdomen, iniuring the kid
ncys and apparently affected the spine.
for he could not stand upon his legs
After crying long for assistance without
avail he began to make his way back
The nearest house was at least two miles
away and over the toughest kind Of pas
turc and woodland
He told briefly between sinking spells
how he accomplished the terrible jour
uoy.
He crawled part of the way on his
hands and knees, he dragged himself
along by his hands alone he rolled down
the hills into the gullies and then dragged
himself up to the next rise Then after
rest, he would repeat the performance
During one Of his resting spells I'm the
carly stops he took off his coat To resi-
lfN I
ON account of it's weight one of his
shoe lacings had become loosencd and the
shoe had come OF
During most of the time Short suffered
from terrible thirst. and all the time from
internal hemorrhaEe. 1t is considered re-
markaAle that he did not bleed to death
or at least become so weakened from loss
of blood as to be obliged to give up what
to him was a long. long journey.
lie was In a terrible state when he
reached the house of Fred Royce His
hands were lacerated his unprotected
foot was bruised and scratched What
little clothing he had upon him was i'm
tatters. As soon as he had attracted the
attention of member of the Royce fam
lily he became unconscious
In spite OF all his suffering young
short tried To shield the lad who was the
unntentional cause of an his troubles
At first he told the doctor that he did
not Know who shot him.
Later. when 1t was learned that ne was
likely to die his companions came for
ward and told tho story of the shooting
which the latter currotorated
II appears that two lads George Blod-
gett and Harry Sylvester, aged Il and II
years, respectively. unbckuown to their
parents. secured two rifles and went of
on the hills Saturday morning About
10 O'Clock they came upon young Short
and two other boys. one of whom was
Whitney. who We're out picking chest
nuts
Young Whitney asked 10 see the gun
and was allowed to take IT, lie mis-
handled IT in some way and it was dis
charged.
Short was so close to him that the pow
der burned his clothing. but for "A few
moments he did not know that he had
been otherwise injured. As soon as his
sense of feeling returned he began to
look for the wound. II seemed iusig-
ridcaut enough to the Inexperienced
hoYs-a puncturc OF the abdomen. about
the size OF lead pencil.
There was no external hemurrhaEe
whatever. and BioGgctt and Sylvester
took their rifles and started for home
PRAYING that tholr parents would not
hear ot their being out with firearms.
II was agreed hy am that tho affair
should Zee kept secret. SO that the boys
might escape punishment. Pretty soon.
however. short began 20 suffer terrible
pain and his uaroNysms became SO vio-
lent that Whitney ana Woodland became
frightened and left him
short then made his way back to the
Royce place AS described
Parents of all tho boys concerned are
thankful that he was able to get back
alive and to corroborate the story finally
told by the others, for If Short had died
during his terrible twu-miles' journey the