The Washington herald., 1915-01-03
q SHOT At YOU,"
CANADIAN SAID
Affidavit of Hunter Wounded
by Soldiers Given State
Department.
BUFFALO WANTS ACTION
Verdict Of Accidental Death" Brought
in by Dominion Jury Called
Perfunctory.

Representative c. B. Smith, OF Buffalo
| n. Y, yesterday handed Acting Secretary
! of State Lansing a transcript of the evil
| dencc brought out in the coroner's in
| quest regarding the shooting of two
! American duck hunters by Canadian
| patrols near Fort Erie. Representative
Smith urged the department to take
| prompt and vigorous action in the case.
/ He has been appealed to, he said, by
many persons in Buffalo, who declare
| that the COroner's inquest, which resulted
| in a verdict of Academia! death, was per-
| functoTy.
The State Department is awaiting a
! complete report on the case from Vice
| Consul Curtiss at Fort Eric. 1t is also
! expected the British Embassy will hand
the department all information at its dis
! Posal as soon as the investigation of the
shooting by the Canadian government au-
| thorities has been completed.
Included in the evidence submitted yes
| terday was an affidavit by Charles
DOrsCh which COntradiCts the finding OF
the Canadian jury of accidental death.
DorsCh charges that one OF the soldiers
admitted to him that he shot at him
(Dorsch). The affidavit reads:
Dorsch Describes shooting.
81. Charles Dorsch. OF Buffalo. y. Y,
being severely wounded and being ap-
prehCnsive of speedy death by reason
of my wound. do hereby deposc and say
that on the morning Of Monday, Decem-
ber 2S, 1914. ]. in company with one
Walter Smith. was duck shooting in
Niagara River. opposite Buffalo. n. y
near the shore at Fort Erie. Canada
We were coo yards away when the
soldiers appeared 4 couple of them
raised their guns and fired / figured
they weren't trying to hit me at that
time. but soon the shots came in VOL
lcSs of four and five at a time.
Bullets started to kick up the ice
all around me. / stood up and held up
both my hands. l could hear the SOL
diers hollering, but ! could not make
out what they were saying. so l yelled
Wha: are you trying to kill a man
for? Do you want me to surrender
My partner was trying to make land
then, and l counted fifteen or sixteen
shots before they reached me and then
lost track. | got into the boat then
and asked Smith what we should do,
20 into shore or pull away. They were
still firing at us. I stood up and hol-
Tered. What do you want us TO do, sur
render: come in or go out? | could
not hear what they were jabbering:
they kept on taking a pot shot or two
1T sounded as though they said
p'dI IT, Stl your DUCKS ana get out,
so we started to gather up our decoys.
but we had not taken three strokes
from the ice cake before something
ripped through my right shoulder and
down into my back, and / knew / had
got it / keCled over and right after
that my partner doubled up, but l did
not then know he was dead. Three or
four shots were fired after we had
keeled over.
Admits He Took Aim.
My right hand traiIcd over the gun
vale and | heard some one holIer. They
are trying to paddle away with their
hands and another shot rang over our
heads. After few minutes l felt some
one grab the boat and we got to shore.
All the soldiers and men and women
gathered around. l turned to the SOL
diers there and said, You are an all
right pack of soldiers My partner had
it right before you shot him. He said It
was a fine business when We did not
know whether to come in or go out and
to have to stay there and take our medi-
cine
We only did our duty said one of
the soldiers. Are you the man that got
u.s." I asked him. 4 don't know he an
swercd. Did YOU shoot high or low?' l
asked him. I shot at you he answered
"elI' lnen II IS up 10 you TO answer TO
all this l said. One of the soldiers was
shooting high for we could hear the bull
lets sing high over our heads, and two
of them were shooting low. or the water
would splash all around US l did not
know they were shooting at US; We
would have come to shore if they had
given us a show. We did not raise our
guns at them before they fired at US or
while they were firing. After they start
ed to fire ! dropped my gun and threw
up my hands. Smith had his hands up.
too, with no gun in his hands. We
meant 70 give I'M