Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-11-26
WRONG BOY
STRUCK BY
BULLET
Police Learn That Each Young
Swain Has Been "Gunning"
for Each Other.

Information indicating that the
shooting of 1O-year- old Harold Thorn
ason, No. 81 North Lawn street who
was fired upon from ambush at Lu-
ellie and Gordon streets late Tues
day afternoon and seriously wound
ed by Philip Foster. IA years old of
$50 Gordon street, was the outgrowth
of a juvenile rivalry for the affections
of a little girl between young Fosta or
and Walter Mooney, aged 10, OF No.
700 Gordon street, was given to po-
lice Wednesday morning by Joseph
Thomson, father of the wounded boy.
According to Thoma sons statement.
which is borne out by a statement
made to Policeman Lon Evans by he
Foster boy, the bullet that struck
young Thomson was meant for
Mooney, but the .Thoma son boy skated
directly in front of young Mooney as
the Foster boy fired from behind
shed.
Both the Mooney and Foster boys
are pupils at the Battle Hill School.
and. according to the information the
same little girl. They quarreled about
her last week, it is said, and on Mon
day night young Mooney is said to
have gotten a shotgun and started
on a search for his rival intending,
1t is said, to kill young Foster. His
playmates took the gun away from
him before the pair met.
Dresses in Uniform.
Tuesday morning, it is said, young
Foster learned that Mooney had been
looking Cor him with a shotgun, and
he went home in a rage. Fosters
elder brother is a member of the state
militia, and the boy donned his broth
er's military uniform, buckled the
cartridge belt about his waist, slip
ped the brothers revolver out of the
house. and started on a search for
young Mooney. He searched all
morning and most Of the afternoon,
it is said, without finding him. Late
in the afternoon, it is said, young Eos
ter came upon Mooney roller skat
ing on the sidewalk with a crowd of
other boys. Foster slipped around
through, an alley, it is asserted, and
hid in the shadows of a shed which
the boys passed in their ramblings
up and down the sidewa ak. The crowd
Of boys passed. and Foster aimed al
Mooney, it is said by the police, and
ed in front OF young Mooney, and the
bullet struck him in the shoulder,
Playmate Escapes.
The only statement the Foster bow
had made since the shooting was made
to Policeman Lon Evans when the
officer went to the child's home and
found him unconcernedly chopping
wood in the back yard, fifteen minutes
after he had fired a revolver point
blank into the crowd of children play
ing on the sidewalk Evans asked the
boy why he had shot the Thomason
boy.
81 didn't do it," replied young Fos-
ter. His face turned white, however
and he swung his Ratchet nervously
THE other boys say they saw yol
fire the gun" said Evans
well, | wasn't shooting at Harold,
Evans says the Foster boy told him
y was shooting at Walter Mooney"
The Mooney boy is about l3 years
old and lives at No 700 Gordon street
He was ne Of the boys who were
playing with the Thomson boy. 9th
er children in the crowd were Hud
son Peurifoy, No. 90 Greensferry ave
nue.; Walter Fisher, No. 127 Yelling
ton street Charles Sanders, No So
Gordon street; While Haynes. No b.
Inman street, and willie owens u
North Wellington street The police !
say each Of the boys has said he saw
the Foster boy fire the shot