Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-07-13
USE OF EXPLOSIVES
Authorities Should Take Steps
 to Prevent Loss of Life.
CLOSE CALL OF MIR PoLLAK.

Bullet Found In His Home Someone
 Shot 1t Through Side of Building
 A General and Careless Use of Fire
 arms.
 Now that theaFol1rth of July is over and everybody has had an opportun< ity to show his patriotic tendencies by
 shooting firearms right and left, it can- not do any harm to call attention to the fact that there is a strong senti- ment in flavor of some sort of official
 supervision over the use of explosives
 on Independence day and the whole
 year round, for that matter It is
 generally believed that we have too
 much of this business for the public
 good and that something should be
 done to check the reckless conduct of
 people who go about armed and ap-
 pear to have no respect for life or
 limb. At this season when the foli-
 age shuts out ones view for any great
 distance it is very dangerous to dis
 charge asgun or pistol in the lots. No
 one can tell where human being may
 be taking a rest or stroll about for re-
 creation, to say nothing of those who
 arestat work and are in constant dread
 of being shot down by fellows who
 act as if they didn't know the differ-
 ence between liberty and license. Sat- uTday a workman in the employ of IT. # M. Rfgney of Waterville came near losing his life through the Garedevil conduct of youngsters shooting ait birds close to where the man was at work. They put several grains of shot into the mans body and then he lay in the field until dais.employer found
 him. Dr Holroyd removed some of the shot after which he was removed to the BrOokside home It is said that the sportsmen didn't mean it. Of course they di6n't but what does that amount to so far as the injured man is concerned. One could talk upon this subject for whole day and then he wouldn't be through, for the busi- ness has become such a public nti- sance it is hard to know when or where to stop when it is introduced. It is plain, however. that it is up to somebody to provide a remedy and then let the police and private individ@ uals see that it is applied.
 On the night of the Fourth of July
 Joseph PoTlak was having a s1eepson a couch at his home on Round HilI street when he was disturbed by the falling of plaster in the room and jumped to his feet, thinking that tlse building was toppHng Over. After A close inspection. of the house he failed to find any clue as to the cause and h-
 naIly he went across the street to a
 crowd of fellows who kept up fusil-s
 lade of pistol shots all day. They told l him that they were using nothing but | .1I a T1Iy and d11sf VII
 done any damage. to his property. The
 matter rested there for the time being and MT Pol1ak often wondered since
 what had caused the commotion in the
 room. NothSlg but the presence of the plaster that flew about the room would have prevented him from con-< cluding that he had been dreaming. Things remained that way until last Saturday when he was taking up thd carpet in the room where the incident
 occurred and found a bullet embedded in the boards. Then he commenced to look about to see if he-coul find how it got there and after a long search discovered a hole clear through the house and splinter knocked off the
 leg of a table that stood opposite the lounge whege he was sleeping the night the plaster came down. MT Pol !. lak said to-day that he had no idea that anybody meant to harm him, but he was positive that had it not been for the bullet coming in contact with the table he would have been shot for the spot was in direct line with his
 body and the table defiected the bullet just enough to carry it above the head
 of the couch. All he cared to say
 about the matter was that in his opin-
 ion it would be a good thing for ev-
 erybody if young and old were obliged
 to confine themselves to the old time
 firecrackers on the Fourth of July.
 NJ INT, A r,TrrSIc vrn>r