The Hawaiian gazette., 1913-11-14
Sergeant Napier Loses His
Life On the Target Range

r,HufirLp BARRACKS. November
DO A mos, irilorails tragedy Wa uu
ta.t..t ,l.s toiuinp o., the hndine II
iha dead bod, u Sergeant Henry T.
Napier Of the machine gun platoon,
Iu,nty hfth Infantry, on the target
range a. this post. Z he body was dis.
weed lliug ~ mi open piece of
ground Whi,h extends ior about scy.
,utf ats ta.ds trou the taIgt butte
on the class 4 rlugc to Rul, b
running parallel TO thc rangr. ar sol.
dior hau btcn shot iu the head, body,
through The ne,k and both arms and
one leg were broken by bullets. lac had
evidently rrhwlcd about thirty yards
towards the pfote, ton on the gul,h at.
ter he wgs struck, and being unable to
10 Hnv further, expired there from
shock and luss ui blood. The pace
where he was standing when he was hit
was easily located as the ground WAS
iorn by bullets.
A. nca ~ a. can be determined the
tragedy occurred about eleven o'clock
yesterday morning The Fourth Cav.
ally were using the Class 4 range for
their proficiency test, and were firing
by organizations. Across the gulch to
I the south. and farther west towards
Kolekole, the machine gun platoon of
/ the TweWy -ffth Infantry were engaged
in some experimental firing with the
new Benet Mercic gun. The cavalry
/ were firing at targets placed in front
/ of the butts on the Glass A range, and
/ while the open ground extending from
I the south end of the lutts to the gulch
/ WIS IN the danger space, it was not di.
/ rectly under fire, early in the day.
| Sergeant Napier had gone back
through the gulch once during the
morning. and crossed this open ground
| in order to 90 behind the butts in or.
/ der TO secure some target materials re.
| quired for the practise of his machine
! guns. The crossing of this seventy-five
/ yard strip must have been comparative.
| ~ safe at this time. Later IN the morn
| ing, he again went back on similar
mission, going down the range through
the gulch, and attempting to cross over
the high ground adjoining the butts.
Received Full volley.
During the interval between his first
| journey to the butts and his second at
tempt, the cavalry had placed targets
on this open space, on line with the
butts at which they had been firing
| This was unknown to the soldier, and
on leaving the gulch he stepped out in.
/ to the open directly behind the newly
! placed targets. These were probably in
visible to him, and he to the firing line
on account of small knoll just behind
the place where the targets were 10
| Gated. He had travcrsed about half the
distance towards the butts when with
| out any warning he was struck by 9
/ vOlIey. There were no witnesses to tn,
accident, and his failure to return t,
his platoon was only the subject OF
cursory inquiry by the platoon com
mander, as it was then supposed thai
the sergeant had gone back in to tn,
| post for some reason.
Inquiries as to his whereabouts las
night were without result, and q part,
went out over the range looking fo
him, but in the darkness they failed I,
find him. No trace of him being foun,
in the post. inquiries were sent to town
which were also fruitless, so this morn
ing another searching party from hi
platoon went out over the range an,
discovered the body.
In view of the manv precautions tina
are taken to safeguard the firing o,
'bese ranges, the denth of this soldie
lust two DAYS before the ending of tn
target soPson seems particularly unfor
tunatc when II is considered that owe
three thousand mon have fred on thes
ranges this wear without accident. tn
Fourth Cavalry being the last regimen
to hold target practise this year.
Investigation Will Follow.
a board of officers will be appointe
by the post authorities to make thor
ough investigation into all the circun
stances attending the soldiers deaf
and to fix the responsibility, should an
failure to ofsEve the required preca,
tions be discovered.
The funeral of Sergeant Napier wa
held at two o'clock this afternoon q
the post chapel, Chaplain O. w. .
Scott, Twenty-fifth Infantry, conduc
ing the services. Members of the dea
mans regiment were in ATTENDANCE
The post flag was placed at half sta
and the usual military honors pal
while the body was being escorted I
the railway depot.
Corporal Robert Flint, a member {
the dead soldier organization, accon
: panied the remains to Honolulu, wheI
they were taken in charge by the Sily
( undertTkinr establishment, to be pr
: pared for shipment to the mainland.
] Sergeant Napier had served two eI
listments in colored cavalry regimen
L