The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-05-27
TARGET SCORE R
n KILLED IN PIT
Lewis White, Raleigh Boy,
Shot Dead
GLOOM TO RIFLE SHOOT
First AccSent in History of
Events = Accident Came
Near Close of the Meet.

Lewis White, a target scorer, fell
dead with a steel jacket through his
head Yesterday afternoon at 500 in
the target pit at the close Of the Third
Regiment shoot and thus brought
gloom to an event that never suffer-
ed accident before.
Mr.. White was in the pit which had
been occupied throughout the day
ny from four to a dozen men. The |
Greensboro sharp shooters were fir
ing at the target. Young White was
was placing targets and giving sig
Rals IA were others. And although he
had observed the greatest care during
the day and urged others TO do SO, he
felt the one of safety, walked about
twelve feet away looked out behind
the wall when his skull was TORN to
pieces viii. the dying bullet.
1t was a stray shot. The men, whose
names could not be learned, were
firing at a distance Of 600 yards. All
marksmen had been doing superb
york. The pit in which the target
scorers were working, was safe
guarded by every military device. The
top OF the walls are Of concrete and
fourteen inches thick at the top and
twenty at the bottom with a birth
thickness of eight feet at the top and
twenty feet at the bottom. Every
protection was given those in the
Hanger division.
So i~mpregnable was this concrete
was actually dry could make an in
protection that rif1lemen firing into it
before it was actually dry could make
AN indentation of less than an inch.
Young White had worked in the pit
before an dknew the danger. He prob
ably thought the firing had ceased. 1t
was near the close of the day. The
men in the pit with him thought he
looked 10 see how many more shoot
erS> were to fire.
Fell Dead Before Tim.
Liutenant T.. b. Parrish. who was
directing the work in the pit, did not
see Mr.. White fall, but heard one
of the helpers say: Bulls shot
The unfortunate boy was known as
"Bulf' among his friends and he had
many Of them. AS 500 as it became
known that he was shot, help was
called for over the telephone which
was used as the only safe mea OF
communicating with the officers d.
not try the phone, but looked out
from the wall which was his only
safety during the firing.
The soldiers did not know that any
accident had occurred. The dis
tance was so great that they could no
wv iiS . ISoo bin tlAV
to fire. Then Lieutenant Parrish or
dered the raising OF the danger signal
That stopped the shooting and endet
the meet.
No Fault Of Men.
Lieutenant Parrish, who was pres
ent, and all the soldiers are agree
that it was no fault Of the marksme1
or those who were in the pit. MI
Parrish declared last night that h
repeatedly cautioned the men abou
him and so did Mr.. White. t'Whe
one of the Franklin men wanted t
be excused, Mr.. White told the boy
to he careful" MI. Parrish said. :
cannot understand how he manage
to forget the danger.
IF a man remains within twely
feet OF his post. there is no way
get hurt" Lieutenant Parrish contiI
e Our pit was built by army of
GERS and is the regulation. The di
tance was six hundred yards but II
flight Of the bullet at that distance
the most rapid. The guns were sigh
ed for $500 yards and they WOu
hold further.
Up to four o'clock, I had ten m
and one boy in the pit. Some we
excused then to catch the train HON
OF course it was an awful thing, b
IL was not any short-sightedness
the officers. If one remains at
post it is impossible to get a scratc
Mr.. White forgot evidently what da
ger he was in.
General YOung'S Regret.
General Lawrence w. Young sa
last night that this is the first acc,
dent that has happened in the t
years Of practice.
1T gave the whole shoot. viii
had been a good one. a gloomy er
ing" General Young said last mig
But l do hope that people will u
derstand that it was no official ca,
fessness. We have thrown ev,
safeguard round the target-me
and the fact that this was the first
cident to occur. and that entir
without the range Of protection, she
that there is really no danger so Il
as the men remain in position. T
get scoring Is as safe as anything Z