The copper era., 1908-12-10
A DEPLORABLE ACCIDENT.
B. B. Adams Meets With Accidental
 Death While Out Hunting at Duncan

The population of Clifton and in fact the entire county, was thrown into a fever of bereavement late Tuesday evening when a telephone was received from Duncan, that Burrel B. Adams had met with accidental death while out hunting. For a time his many Clifton friends could hardly believe that he had met with such an un- fortunate ending, but reliable parties from Duncan soon confirmed the re- port. J. T. Tong, justice of the peace at Duncan, was away on busi- ness and Justice Smith, of Clifton, leaving Clifton Wednesday morning in company with Undertaken Pascoe, who removed the remains to Clifton
 Wednesday evening. They were met at the depot by large delegation of Masonic and Knights of Pythias brothers, who marched to the under taking parlors.
 MT. Adams was seen by an ERA re-
 porter on Thursday morning of last
 week, at which time he stated that
 he would meet George Fraser at Dun
 can the following Saturday and ac- company him to the Amargosa mines in Old Mexico, but business at home
 prevented MT. Fraser from going and
 the trip was called off, Mir. Adams re- maining at Duncan on visit to old
 friends whom he had known for the
 past twenty-five years. On Tuesday
 morning he borrowed Gus Hobbs automatic 12-guage shot gun and bird dog and started for short hunt in the fields, promising to return at 3 o'clock in the afternoon for dinner at the home of Mir. and Mrs. Hobbs, after which he intended to catch the afternoon train for Clifton. The time for his return expired and he had not returned, MT. and Mrs. Hobbs
 waited until they became uneasy and feared that he was lost. MT. Hobbs
 waited until dark and Mir. Adams had not returned; he then decided that he had caught the train and went to Clifton and Gus called up friends in Clifton to learn if he came in on the
 passenger. When he received word that he had not arrived here, searching party was organized, which left Duncan in couplets. Charley Sands and his companion went north along the railroad track and after
 hunting in the fields, struck the home of Joe McCluskey, where they learned that Joe had seen MT. Adams and talked with him at o'clock in the afternoon. At that time he had one bird and a rabbit and remarked that he was ashamed to go home with such a small amount of game and and he was directed to a nearby brushy canyon. The last time he was seen alive was about , o'clock. Charley Sands then started up the canyon and after going a short dis tance the dog came out of the brush
 whining, and Charley then knew that MT. Adams was nearby. The dog led the way through the brush and there was MT. Adams cold in death with a gunshot wound two inches under the heart, laying Ou his back with his hands outstretched and the gun at his feet; the sight revealing the fact that he had met with accidenta. and instant death. A survey of the posi- tion of the body and gun and sur rounding circumstances were made before the remains were removed to Duncan, and on Wednesday Justice Smith held a corouer's inquest, the verdict being that deceased came to his death by the accidental discharge of gun in his own hands.
 A careful examination of the ground revealed the fact that MT. Adams had crippled a quail under the bush where the body was found, as there was a bunch of feathers there. Twenty-one feet away an empty shell was found, from which point it is surmised he fired the first shot. As he was not accustomed to using an automatic gun, which ex- tracts the empty shell and injects a loaded one of its own accord, he cer- tainly did not know that the gun was loaded and in the excitement to catch the bird he must have grabbed the gun by the barrel with his left hand. A limb either struck the trigger or stock of the gun and it was discharged, MT. Adams receiving the full effects of the load two inches under the heart. He must have been directly over the muzzle of the gun, as his shirt was pow der-burned.
 By this deplorable accident there has been removed from our midst one of the grandest and best hearted pioneers of this county, who by his gentlemanly and kindhearted acts, was near and dear to the hearts ot many friends all over Graham county. He was the idol of the children who came in contract with him, as he always had a smile and good word for them. He came to this county twenty-five years ago and located at Duncan, since which time he has resided in Solomonville and