Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-11-01

! Oh Tic SDillt OF on TIE SoldT
caused the paralysis. But %-ray photo
| graphs taken after his death revealed
q uislocation between the first vetebrae
! to be thrown forward, pressing against
and probably resulting in a lesion in
| those nerve centerS of the medulla OBJ
| longata, which govern the respiratory
muscles. This caused the natural pro-
| cess of breathing to cease altogether
and the artificial means of respiration
resorted to was all that kept the in
| iured cadet alive until this morning.
| No autopsy was held aside from the
| X-ray examination.
| Byrne's father bore the shock of the
fatality with fortitude, but he was
plainly laboring under great mental
anguish this afternoon when he came
to the little West Shore Railroad sta
| ton at the foot of the hill. t" meet
| Mrs. Byrne mother of the victim. Mrs
| Byrne left Buffalo early today and
reached here at $50 o'clock this after
noon. The meeting between the be-
reaved parents was affecting, but each
| cndcaVOred to console the other in their
grief as with bowed heads they as
cended the hill to the bier Of their boy.
| Funeral services will be held tonlor-
| row in the catholic chapel at the north
| end of the post, where the body was
| taken this afternoon. a cadet guard
has been posted at the chapel and de-
tails Of young soldiers will watch over
the body until after the services to-
morrow.
Arrangements for the funeral were
completed tonight after the arrival OF
co1n 'I,n q
manned in the hospital tonight but to-
morrow it will be taken to the Cath
Ollie chapc! on the post grounds, where
services will be held at II o'clock Tues
| day morning. The funeral will be held
with full military honors. lntcrnent
will he made in the West Point Come
terry, with the Cadet Corps firing a
vOl!ey over the grave.
When the Cadet Corps and the Off
cial family of the academy had recoV-
cred from the first shock of the an
nounrcment that Byrne's injuries had
| terminated fatally, the effect Which the
accident might have upon the remain
der of the football schedule Immediate
| w came to mind. The sentiment hardly
had time to crystallize today, but more
| than one opinion has been voiced that
| the casualty would result in curtalinG
the remainder Of the seasons playing
| if not the cancellation of the entire
schedule, including the Army Navy
! game.
| Official expression on the matter is
Eltagre. when Col. Hugh l.. Scott. the
| Academy superintendent. was asked
for MS opinion, he replied:
| That is a matter | cannot discuss
now"
| The manner of Young Byrne'S IN
! illrv. witnessed as it was by the father
and the hundreds who gathered to see
| the Army students against Harvard,
was dramatic in the extreme. When
| the spectators realized that the acct
dent was serious the cheering stands
| We're hushed as if by magic. No one
spoke above a whisper A few minutes
later Byrne was carried unconscious
off the acid on a Stretcher and the
s,,ectators filed silently down to the
station leaving a deserted football
field. where laughter and waving of
college pennants had made gay pic
t,lre before the accident changed the
scene.
Taken to the Cadet hospital skilled
surgeons working with relays of capa-
bic attendants labored over Byrne
tlroughout the night. Conscious at
times, he realized the seriousness OF
i his condition as the nurses and pny-
i scians kept at their task. and with a
II smile and an occasional cheering word
Il encouraged them in their task.
H The surgeons realized as the hours
III that thpV only to
II prolong, not TO save life: and Byrne
knew it too before the new day broke
II He faced death smilingly only
though for the grief-stricken father
who was with him when the end came
II Meanwhile the current of life at the
II academy had almost ceased. All social
functions planned for last night, in
Guiding the iong-looked forward to
hop. were cancelled at the request OF
the Cadet Corps, expressed immediate
~ after the seriousness Of the accident
to Byrne became apparent.
II Last night was a wakcful one on the
reservation and solicitous inquiries as
to the condition of the injured cadet
poured into the hospital. When morn
II ing broke all hopes We're crushed by
II the announcement that death had
come. Then came official action, ex-
II pressing concretely the sense of per-
sonal sorrow from everywhere on the
academy grounds. By order of Col
Scott, cadet activities of the day were
declared to be only such as were ne
cessary. There was no parade tonight
the flag was lowered to half-mast and
directions were given that all academic
duties be suspended tomorrow
Young Byrne was only q years old