Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1904-09-28

SUaTUl0Q Suuudy OV0ulAS Wy UAO
news that Eugene BROKER had
been wounded by rifle bullet. In
vestigation reveals the facts Of the
case as follows:
A party of four Lancaster young
men, Will Carter, V. L. Showalter,
Oscar Wright and Eugene BROKER,
had walked down to Kings Ford on
Platte river for few hours outing.
They had been enjoying themselves
there the fore part of the afternoon,
and when about four o'clock the
heavy shower of that day struck
the Platte bottom they sought re-
fuge from the storm in school
house near by. The door to the
building was locked, SO that they
were obliged to enter through a
side window. Here they remained
for some little time, waiting for the
storm to pass over. AS the shower
was abating Showalter and Carter
were standing near the north end
of the building, and Wright and
BROKER were toward the south end
near the door, when suddenly they
heard the report of a rife and a
bullet tore through the weather
boarding of the schoolhouse and
Just grazed Showalters thigh.
Carter started to the window to
ascertain the source of the ball,
when a second report rang out and
another bullet crashed through the
panel of the door. At the same
instant they saw BROKER throw his
hand up to the side of his neck and
saw the blood squirt out through
his fingers.
Carter Immediately got his head
out of the window and saw two
boys going up the hollow. He called
TO them, and they came up to the
schoolhouse, during which time
Showalter and Wright had carefully
assisted BROKER out of the building.
The two boys gave their names as
Charley Weitenhiller and Dwight
Flower. Weitenhiller is a Platte
vile boy, and Flower, who is at
tending the normal there, lives at
Monticello, Wis. The latter ac-
knowledged having fired the shots,
and was nearly frantic when he
learned of the work they had done.
In company with two young ladies,
they had been spending the day on
Platte, and had been improving
their skill as marksmen by shooting
at every available object with the
rifle which they carried. Flower
was standing down near the bridge
and about a hundred feet from the
schoolhouse when he fired the shot.
They brought their rig up to where
Eugene was and lifted him into it,
and Showalter and Weitenhiller
brought him as quickly as possible
to DR.. Gault, while Flower stayed
with the ladies and Wright and
Carter walked home.
The bullet, which was of % cali
Der, entered the neck on the left
side and little back of the large
lateral cord. 1t seemed to have
gone in a short way and then to
have taken an upward direction.
Small as it was it had been f1attened
somewhat by tearing through the
door, so that it made rather a rag
ged hole. The bleeding from the
wound was pr0fuse at first, but
when under the doctors care no
difficulty was found in checking it.
The pain and paralysis from the
wound yesterday was so great that
the patient was unable to talk or to
take any nourishment up until last
evening, when it abated SO that
some nourishment could be taken,
and later Eugene was able to be
taken up to his home to see his
mother, who is IN invalid. Several
X-ray negatives were made of the
neck which revealed the position OF
the ball, but the surgeons have as
yet been unable to locate it with the
probe. 1t is deemed best not to
make any further attempt to
extract the bullet unless some un-
foreseen complication sets in, and
accordingly no steps will be taken
save to heal the wound as well as
possible. DR.. Gault makes the state
ment that if the bullet had entered
the neck three quarters of an inch
the other way the jugular vein
would have been severed.
This unfortunate occurrence is not
the first instance of the carelessness
of some of those who carry firearms
through our woods and fields. So
frequent are they thai no word of
blame can apply to the farmer who
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