The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-11-01
YOUTH SHOT WHILE
CELE CREATING
HALLOWEEN
Young Man at CastIeton viii
Probably Die
BULLET WENT THROUGH BODY
Dewitt Ballard Who Did Shooting
Arrested. Denies Any Intent
To Iniure.

To lniure.
Castleton, Oct. 31.--As the result
of a Halloween celebration By a
party of Castleton youths This even
ing Thomas Lahey the 1Gyear old
son Of Thomas Lahey, Ross street,
West Rutland, is in a critical conIi-
ton. suffering rom q wound made
by a 32-calbre bullet, fired from a re
yolver in the hands of Dewitt
Ballard at the Ballard home on Girls
void avenue about II O'Clock to-
night
Ballard, who was taken into Gus
tody shortly after the shooting, ac-
knowledges that he fired his reyol-
yer but claims that il was with the
intention of frightening the party Of
young men. He Acknowledges that
he had on other Halloween nights
used a revolver to brighten away
celebratCrs.
At a late hour tonight the physici-
ans attending the injured boy would
not express any opinion as to the
obable outcome of Laheys wounds
The doctors say that the young man
is in a critical condition and thar ms
death may come at any moment as
the result of internal hemorrhas.
The injured boys heart is in sach
a weakened condition that no ali
tempt Will be made tonight 10 re-.
move him to the Rutland hospital
He has also become very weak from
the loss of blood.
Lahey in company with several
companions had been celebrating
Hollowe'en in a more or less bolster
Gus way. after the manner OF boys.
and according TO the story told by
his associates, had gone to a point
near the Ballard residence The
boys were making considerable noise
when Dewitt Ballard appea,ed on
the scene with a revolver Whether
he warned the rosterers away is not
stated by the others of the party
An examination of the boys
wound showed that the bullet had
entered his right side just above the
hip and had passed throush his back
into The muscles above the left hip.
Or Suckney said tonight. after de
Gliding that the weak condition of the
boys heart prevented an operation
for the removal of the bullet, that an
internal Nem0-rhage might occur at
any moment and i'm such case the re
sult would very likely prove fatal.
Paul Farnsworth, one of l.ahey's
companions, who was with the young
man when he was shot, tells of The
shooting. tie says that he and La.
hey were rafting a chain attached
10 hammock when Ballard came out
and fred revolver. Lahey fell,
eNclaiming. I'm shot
As the young man had been in
duging in various tricks during the
evening and as he is OF a playful ma.
ture Farnsworth did not think hat
he had been hit.
Becoming alarmed he crept up to
whore Lahey lay i'm the grass and
asked him 10 a whisper 10 he had
really been shot. L3hcy already
weak from loss of blood answered in
Whispe, that he had been shot and
was IN pain. Farnsworth called The
other boys and explained that their
companion had been injured.
As soon as Lahey was carried out
of the Ballard yard into the street
one OF the boys lighted a match and
it was discovered that the youna
mans clothing was soaked with
blood and that he was suffering i'm
tense pain.
According TO the STOKES told b,
the boys and by others who are ace
quainted with the Ballard family One
Billiards. have. for several years
been victims OF more or less annoy
ance on Halloween nights.
10 is alleged thar on previous oC
casions persons OF the Ballard hous
hold have used revolver TO fright
on Halloween celehrators though
is understood that in fring thc wes
pom no attempt had been made q
shoot at any OF the noise makers.
Tonight when Dewitt Ballard va
lodged in The lookup by Deputy Shei
iff Beach he said that De did not 30
tend TO shoot at any of she boys am
that he discharged his revolver int
the air in an attempt 10 brighten Oh
youngsters. he does not seem
understand the seriousness of Dbl
act. 10 is expected that a heaun
win De held tomorrow morning an
that Ballard viii probably be take
fo Jail 20 Rutland
Dewitt Ballard IS the son OF Dar