The Washington times., 1912-01-14
SOLDIERS DEATH
Due TO POISONING,
MOTHER DECLARES
w. A. Cheseldine Victim of
Lead Infection From
Bullet Wound.

The death Of william Amos Chesel-
dine, youngest son Of Mr.. and Mrs.
Philip Cheseldine, residents Of the
Wheeler road. in Prince George county.
Nd. which occurred on Friday forenoon.
has been the subject Of much comment
In that community. owing to report
that the young man had been the VIC
tim Of lead poisoning. following bullet
wound received over two years ago.
This Is the firn. belief Of the members
Of his family. who have contended that
his death was thus hastened. He re-
ceived It while marking targets ON the
District rife range, at Congress Heights.
Cheseldine was nearly nineteen years
old. and soon after the establishment
Of the range ct Congress Heights he OBJ
tAinsd employment there a. a target
marker. 1t was his. business to stay at
the targets while the marksmen fired
their string OF shots. and he would
raise ana lower the targets and indi-
cate to the sharpshooters Just how sue
cessful they were in trying to reach the
bull's-eye. While he was engaged this
way one day q bullet, fired from a 200
yard range. struck the iron frame of q
target. and the pieces of the missile
scattered. burying themselves in the
neck. left arm and hand Of the marker.
He received treatment on the rife range
at once.
II is alleged by the members Of his
family that hfty-seven pieces OF lead
entered his body. He did not 70 tn a
hospitais nor did he receive much more
treatment. It is alleged, than was given
on the range. 80 s
Mrs. Cheseldine said that the vopnx
man began to decline in health from
tne time he received the wound. He
mad made number OF efforts to pro.
cure employment, she said. but his
weakened condition was such that ha
was unable to retain the Jobs He had
been helplessly i'll for a long time. MRS
Cheseldine said.
Ine young man was also a membar
or the District National Guard ana
ne received two tokens of his own skill
at the targets, one being a marksman,s
eanse; eanse the ts., other an emblem for tho
years ago that he began work on the
ward. 'o'''y ai'ei-
rsnge." asserted the Cheseidines enl- m
pnaticaily last night, "for we know il
Was purely accidental"
Mrs: Cheseidine was bitterly resent
tional Guard toward the case. and sSa
said she would make It plain that
, OUTSIDE OF two officers who have called
occasionahy In q social way no one
into the boys condition.
She stated that before passing awnv
nss nsr ,Soy SSoy @ told her he wished he could
bullet, 80 that he could tell him tkaf
me family regarded the matter as % eli.
urely an accident. as he himself did.
The funeral was held today from the
ITotestant Episcopal church at 81.
Ia harnaoas' PRINCE George county, Md,
INK. The young man had attended the
public school in Congress Heights, and
many OF his former associates Visited
the dwelling last night and today to
oner their sympathy. Those chosen for
pallbearers were George Curtis, Morris
Fowler. Marden Healey. Lieut.. ]. II.
Cole; D. c. n. g., and Color Sergt.
y: y. Reynolds, d. c. N. G..
The deceased belonged to Company A.
Eirst Regiment. His father. Philip
Cheseldine, in an engineer at the Gov
ernmcnt Hospital for the Insane.