The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-30
CHILD SHOOTS CHILD DEAD.
6-YEiR-OLD SHOWS J-fEiR-OLD
NOW SHOTGUN WORkED.
Younger LADS Head Almost blown on
Playmate Arrested. Though Coroner
Calls II Nlstake-Father Blames
Himself for Leaving the Gun Around.

Calls II Nlstake-Father Blames
Himself for Leaving the Gun Around.
Jacob RoszkowslSy, car inspector for
the New York. New Haven and Hartford
Railroad. who lives at Blondell avenue
and the East Chaster road In West Chester
loaded his old fashioned, double barrelied
/, shotgun yesterday morning and went
hunting for blackbirds. He was out until
noon and fired only one shot. When he
went home no stood the gun in a corner
of an upstairs sitting room that his chill
dren used to play in.
Five-year-Old George Vanderpool. son
of George Yanderpool a carpenter who
lives across the street. came over about
O'Clock and asked Bernard Roszkowsky's
six-year-old son, to play with him. Barney
and George and the two Roszkowsky girls,
Sarah, aged 7. and Josephine. s, went up
stairs to the sitting room. Mrs. Roezkow-
sky, nursing a seyen-months' old baby
was downstairs in the dining room. The
father was outside chopping wood.
Little Demands eye fell on his fathers
gun. 1t was as big as he, but he picked
1t up in both his arms with the rnuzzle
pointing to the Vanderpool boy.
MY father went out hunting this morn
ing" said he. Now, George, you just
watch mo and I'll show you how my father
shoots
Tie hammer spring worked stifly, but
the little boy managed to get it half way
UP. Then tho strain was too much for his
fingers and ho let go his grip. The right
barrel went OF with roar that startled
everybody in tho neighborhood. The
heavy bird shot from the lG-gauge shell
struck George Vanderpool in the front of
the neck under the chin, tearing his head
half of Two or three of the shot went
into the child's face, but the distance was
30 short that, the full load caught the boy
in a space the size of the palm OF u hand.
Mrs. Roszkowsky, the baby in her arms.
was upstairs in ten seconds. She saw her
son still holding the gun, his eyes wide open
in establishment. The little girls were cry
ing in corner of the room, tho older one,
Josephine, fully comprehending what had
happened. The Vanderpool boy was quite
dead on the floor.
Roszkowsky was in the room almost as
quickly IA his wife He grabbed his hat
and ran all the way to the West Chester
police station, quarter Of a mile away.
said Roszkowsky to Capt. Burfeind He
blew his head off with shotgun. 1t Is my
fault. captain, it IS my fault
Burfeind called an ambulance from
Fordham Hospital and went to the house
with Detectives Dillon and Rappolt By
that time half the people in that quarter Of
the 7illage we're there. George Wander
pool, father of the dead child, was half out
OF his mind with grief and shouting at
Roszkowsky and his wife.
you people arc to blame for this. You
had no business to leave a gun where
child could get hold Of it,
Burfcind and his men. with the assistance
Of some of the neighbor folk, managed TO
get the Vanderpools quietcd and got the
crowd away from tho house.
Capt Burfeind told Detective Dillon 20
place the Ros2kowsky child under arrest.
At the police station the boy could not
talk at all at first. He seemed to be fright
encd out OF his wits more from excitement
ard confusion than from any realization OF
what he had done. Burfend got him
finally to show how George vanderpool
was shot. The child tugged at the heavy
shotgun. but he couldn't manage 70 get II
uD AT all. He explained that he was show
ing George how well his father could shoot
and "it Just went on by ITSELF he said
Dillon took tho boy TO the Gerry sooety's
rooms. On the way downtown on the
elevated the little boy talked some moro To
Detective Dillon.
u want YOU TO tell my father not TO whip
me for shooting off his shotgun said Ber
nard. Il didn't meant TO do no harm with It
1T 4,
He spent the night at the rooms of the
society and will be in the Cmldren's Court
this morning. Then he will hs released
in all probability.
Coroner Berry Of The Bronx. who went
to tho Roszkowsky house last evening"
was surprised TO hear that the child had
been arrested at all.
The law is that a child under can
not commit a crime wilfuly,' said he.
The Coroner sharply criticised Roszkow-
sky for leaving loaded gun where children
could find it, Capt Burfend had a few
words 10 say to the man along the same
line. but Roszkowsky was so broken up
by the accident that he was IN no state Of
mind to appreciate lecture on what he
should have done
On July 4. 1890, his ten-year-old son
Joseph accidentally killed himself with
n shotgun. but not the one with which
Bernard shot the Vanderpool boy. The
other son found a gun standing loaded
in the dining room and slipped 1t out TO
celebrate the Fourth. He was brought
home dead.
Before coming to this country Roszkow-
sky served a year with the Russian Army
SPFNCER'S WIDOW ARRESTED.
Acc,,srd of Sbno,Inv N NcOro-unst,and