Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1905-04-29
THE BOY AND THE GUN,

Boys with Twenty TWO Rifles Kill
Themselves and Each other-Dis-
tressing Mortality.
That it is not the best thing in the
world to trust boys with guns is clear
ly evidenced by the fact that from
the first six exchanges that reached
this Office this week are taken the
following accounts of four young lives
snuffed out by carelessness of boys
permitted to handle firearms:
cooperstown.
Victor Melgard, the 13-years-old
son of Mr.. and Mrs. P. A. Melgard,
has been accidentally shot by %
calibre rifle while out hunting gophers
with Oliver Larson and Johnnie Syver-
son. 1t seems that the boys went out
in double rig to hunt and the ac-
cident happened a little after 2 p. m.
on the road leading to J. N. Browns
farm a mile and half east of town.
Just how the accident happened we
cannot positively say only that the
rifle was accidentally discharged
while in the hands of Johnnie Syver-
son while the boys were seated in the
buggy, Oliver and Victor being in the
front seat with Johnnie riding in the
back seat alone. The ball struck the
unfortunate boy just above the left
ear entering the brain. The boys
took him to J. F. Teal's place and Dr.
Brimi was hastily summoned and
dressed the wound and later had the
poor boy brought to his Office in town
and arrangements were being made
to take him to Valley City when he
passed away at few minutes past
four o'clock.
LaMoure.
The little son of VIM. Manning, who
lives near Dickey, had been accident
ally shot and killed by his sister, aged
six or seven years. It seems that the
son Archie, aged eleven, had been Civ
en- % rifle, and on Wednesday after
noon the children were out hunting
gophers. AS nearly as can be learned,
the little girl took the rifle in her
hands, pointed it at her brother and
playfully snapped the trigger, not
knowing that the gun was loaded nor
realizing the danger involved. The
bullet pierced the boys forehead
about an inch above the right eye and
lodged in the brain. DR.. Hobert of
Dickey, was summoned, but could do
nothing to save the boy. The frantic
parents then took their unconscious
son to the hospital at Edgeley, where
he died at an early hour Thursday
neutrality-suspicious. Chronicle.
Dunseith.
A fifteen year old son of JOS. Bacon
who lives north of Dunseith was shot
and instantly killed Monday afternoon
by his own gun, on which he was lean.
ing at the time. 1t appears that he
and neighbor boy were out hunting,
and at the time of the accident young
Bacon had placed the stock of his gun
on the ground, and held the barrel in
his hands with the muzzle near his
neck and was talking to his com,
panion, when in some manner the gun
was Observation-Disclosures County Her
aid.
WalhaIla.
On Friday evening occurred a fatal
| and most distressing accident at the
home Of Mr.. Weight, on the Tongue
river near sTyner. 1t seems that the
young son of Mr.. Voight and two
other boys had "camp" near their
homes, in which they played and pre-
tended to hunt. Friday evening the
youngsters, all about twelve years
old, were enjoying themselves, and
two of them were outside gathering
wood for a camp fire, when they
heard the report of a rifle from the
camp. They fastened in and found
young Weight dead with bullet from
his 22-calibre rife, through his heart
That is all that can be learned of the
accident at this time. 1t is supposed
that after his companions went Out
he had taken up the gun to place
it somewhere else, and it was acct
dentally discharged, the bullet enter
ing the heart and killing him instant
ly.-Walhalla Mountaineer.