Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-12-15
THIRTEEN FATALITIES IN The
RECORD OF HUNTING SEASON
Year 1914 Not Quite as Red as Last Year But
Bad Enough to Rank with Football
And Fourth of July


-Four persons were killed, shot in mis-
| take for deer, five were killed by the
accidental discharge of their own guns,
one was accidentally shot by hunter,
one was shot by a companion, one
died from exposure and one was acct
| dentally killed by gun in the hands
of his own brother.
| During the season of 1918 there were
16 fatal accidents, these being divided
as follows Shot self, seven; mistaken
| three; shot for a mink, one.
Fatal Accidents of 1914
| The first fatal shooting accident oe-
Cured Thursday Oct /. when Ray
mond Kurdish of Sanford. Fl years old,
returning from a trip after deer up
the Mousam.a river, was shot in the
left thigh by the accidental discharge
of a 12-guage shot gun he had taken
along in the chance of seeing some
ducks. The gun went off as he and his
companion, Emil Svenningsen, a
wealthy cigar manufacture. were
handling the boat. They were in the
wilderness and Svenningsen, picking
up his bleeding companion, carried
nearest house.
On Oct. 4, Henry Gerrish, 17-years-
old student at Trap Academy at Kit
terry Point and son of Charles Will
iiams, former keeper Of the light
house at that, place, was accidentally
shot by hunter on Gerrish Island.
Williams roaming through the woods
with Virgil Lynch had climbed
boulder to eat his lunch. A shot was
heard and williams fell to the ground,
and when Lynch reached his side,
Williams was dead. On October %
Ernest Hoyt of Kittery Point was ar
rested charged with causing the death
of Williams and held for the grand
jury in bail fixed at $1,000.
On Oct. 5, Colin Hayes, aged 10 years
of Rumford, was shot through the head
while out in the woods with two other
boys and died several hours later at q
hospital. The bullet was from a rifle
said to have been in the hands of Ma
poleon, Cyr, one of his companions
who shot at a bird. His mother, who
is a widow, supposed that the boy was
at school
On Oct. 30, Lowell Simmons, aged l6
years, the son of Daniel w. Simmons.
was killed at Round Pond in the town
of Bristol, Lincoln county. The boy
was climbing over fence with a
loaded gun when the fence broke down
and he fell to the ground. The con-
tents of the gun penetrated his back
and passed through the lungs and
heart Emulous Elliott, a companion
Of the same age, who was some dis
lance away from Simmons, ran a
mile to the village and was so fright
ened that 1t was some time before he
could definitely locate the scene of the
accident.
On Nov. 8, George o'Donnell of May
field, Somerset county, aged IS years,
was shot and killed by Scott McLaugh-
lin of Moscow, being taken for deer.
Before the coroner's jury Mclaughlin
testified that he went about dark to
the top of the hill in Sugartown to
watch for deer that were in the habit
of coming during the night to the
apple trees there. About O'Clock in
the evening he heard a rustic of the
leaves and then saw an object. He
had his rifle cooked, and when the
object stopped, he fired. He heard
cry and at once knew that he had shot
man. He ran quickly to him and
heard O'Donnell cry out: II am shot
The dying mans story, according to
witnesses, was that he was at fault
for coming down through the woods
and he knew that at least two deer
had been shot under these apple trees
within a week. He freed Mclaughlin
from blame and before DR.. Brown of
Bingham could reach the place he died,
having lived about an hour after being
shot. A brother of Mclaughlin was
shot four years ago by being mistaken
for a deer. No arrest has been made.
on Nov. 8, the body of John Byron
of Linneus, veteran hunter, who had
been lost in the woods near Malta
wamkeag lake, was found by search
ing parties. Death resulted from ex-
only few hours before the finding of
the body. He was rs years old.
On Nov. IL, Samuel Downing of Mil
linocket, aged 60 years, was mistaken
for deer by a 1S-years-old boy at
Portage lake and was shot and killed.
He started out early in the morning in
search Of big game and was in N. b.
Sutherlands back field IN which Mr..
Sutherland's SON. Homer. and boy COM
panions were hunting deer. Homer
Sutherland saw something move at the
edge of the woods and taking the OBJ
ject for a deer. fired, and. according
to the officials, shot Downing through
the. right leg. Downing lived only
long enough to ask where he had been
shot and to tell the boys to inform his
wife of the accident.
On Nov. 10, five miles from Addison,
Ephraim Davis, aged 25 years, was
shot and almost instantly killed by
Lester Burgess, so years Of age, who
mistook him for a deer. The bullet
entered Davis side near the shoulder
blade and passed completely through
his body. He lived but few seconds
after he fell and died without speaking.
The two men had separated and were
making their way through the woods
when Burgess spied something moving
through the trees, He looked intently
and it seemed to him that he could
make out the deer's outline through
the underbrush. Then he raised his