The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-02
DANGER IN AUTOMATIC GUNS.
Shooting Accidents 10 Hunters Due TO
the New style OF Rlne.

the New style or Hlne,
HULL, Canada, Dec. More han sixty
serious shooting accidents have occurred
in the northern deer hunting region this
season. OF these. ~twenty-three are known
to nave had a fatal termination.
The majority of the accidents may be
reckoned as due to the fad OF owning one
OF the many automatic self cooking and
loading machines with which the gun trade
is stocking the market. In the hands Of
qualified men the up to date weapon 10 a
marvel Of convenience and precision.
For instance. n party Of eight in the
Gems de Terre region in four days killed
every deer they saw. which was all the law
allowed them. three full grown bears and
a grand pair Of bull moose. They owed
their success TO their automatic. rapid
firing guns. which did away with the neces-
sity Of trailing the injured animals.
One Of the moose was come upon UNI.
awares. standing across the path as the
hunters were coming in. Before hs could
get under cover-and only men who have
seen it can appreciate the almost incredible
swiftness OF these creatures-the leading
man had pumped five 81 soft lead bullets
into him and stretched bin helpless on
the ground.
But old Hetu. the guide. shook his grizzled
head over he affair. To attain such a
result, the hammerless rife must have
been carried at full cock. which Is always
a dangerous proceeding in the woods.
In Cawood Township, which is becoming
rather noted as a red deer resort. q young
farmer met his death from this verv cause.
He was acting as guide to a sportsman
equipped with one Of these new style rifles.
and was leading the way in stalking a couple
Of stays, which were playing in q beaver
meadow.
His employer was anxiouslv worming his
way along behind him. his finger upon the
trigger, when in a moment OF excitement
he pressed too heavily and discharged his
gun into the others back, killing him in
stantly.
The same thing happened in the Kszu-
bazua district. when. as two men were creep
ing through the woods after a bear, the fore
most was shot and killed by the man behind
him.
~For the life OF me l cannot see how Il
happened. The, trigger is not very light.
and l do not see how it came to be at full
cock, " the hunter declared that night in the
camp.
One OF his companions took up the gun
10 lax IIldl VI TO IlkbCiSt NiVil v hHb
amazement, IL exploded at his touch, and
the cry of the cook, whose shoulder was
badly torn. told OF another accident.
There have been several cases In which.
in the excitement OF killing large game.
the successful shooter has unthinkingly
pulled the trigger, without remembering
that unless the safety check IL put on these
guns are always at full cook. A young
collegian was killed that way and fell right
across the body OF the moose he and the
friend who shot him had just killed.
Young Louis Gauthier was with n Of
these eKcitable individuals, who had brought
down his first antlered buok with three rapid
shots from his heavy rife, and standing
beside the booty took the rapid firer in his
hand to examine It.
Il no more'n touched il, than fbangl' OF
It went like hell" he said,
But it would be impossible to reproduce
the language helped out by gestures with
which he described his swinging the ex-
pensive gun round his head, and bringing
It down across a tree stump, i~rretrievsbly
smashing II "for good'n ALL" az too danger
GUS to possess.