Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-08
IGNORANCE RIFLES.
Movement Against Their Use in Can
ada Caused by Accidents.

From the New York Sun.
Not far from Mont Cert. one of the
northern settlements, a little tragedy oc-
CURED this week, which ought to be
warning to deer hunters. A young French
woman was standing at the door of her lit
tie home, her fiye-months-old child in her
arms, when she suddenly felt shock of
some kind, and her baby screamed, strug-
gled violently. and. in a moment or two.
was dead The father was near by and,
aroused by the scream, came in as the
mother sank to the floor unconscious. Her
long fainting fit was overcome with diff
Guilty. Then they tried to account for the
sudden death Of the child. It was not
until the little body was stripped of its
clothing that the matter became clear to
the investigators.
Then a stain upon the inner garment,
one tiny wound in the chest and one in
the back, told the tale Of a bullet gone
astray; the bullet itself was found in the
clothing Of the mother, where 1t had lodged.
1t had come from one of the German long
range rifles, sold commonly in this country
at a low price a few years ago. Whose
gun dispatched it, or from what distance
1t had come, is not known; probably never
will be known. as many hunters are afield
in the deer country just now. 5lLa
1t was about thirty miles southeast of
the scene of this accident that last au-
tumn, saw mill hand, standing on boom
above the fume, suddenly dropped his pike
pole, reeled and fell into the water, dead,
with steel bullet in his brain No re-
port was heard; the force of the missile
was evidently almost spent, and the man
who killed his fellow was never discovered
perhaps never knew of the outcome OF his
long-range shooting. Indeed, he may have
been a mile away from his victim at the
time.
Only few days ago two sons of one
of the countrys most prominent men were
crossing lake after ducks when, without
warning of any kind. one of them received
a shock which almost threw him out of
the boat. A flying bullet had plowed trans
versely in slightly downward direction
across his chest, infiicting an ugly. painful,
though fortunately not dangerous. wound.
AS his doctor said. that lad cansnever be
much nearer death, no matter what befalls
him.
News of somewhat similar happenings
are being reported from other sporting dis
tricts. In this region. the rather slow-mov
ing settlers are beginning an agitation for
gun-licenSe fee, and for an act OF parlia
ment behind it. which shall compel the
use of a government stamp upon sporting
firearms, certifying that their range Is not
above 500 yards.
How thoughtless some men are in their
use of firearms, and how accidents often
occur, were forcibly demonstrated lately. A
farmer had just retired for the night. when
shingled roof This was followed by the
noise of breaking glass in the attic cham
Der, next to which he was lying. Fortu-
nately for him, he had philosophy enough
he discovered that several bullets had
pierced the walls and window Of his spare
bed room
During the day couple Of hunters came
in for supplies from a large shooting party
encamped beside pond, about half mile
away. Upon inquiry. it turned out that,
as the men could not sleep that first night
out they had amused themselves by firing
in the moonlight at dead tree top on the
other side of the water. The question Of
where the bullets they heedlessly set going
might stop had not occurred to them.