The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-05-30
kOLD MAN Who FIRED SHOT
j. P. Christman Shoots at Blackbird and
Bullet Strikes Walker, Tearing Out
One of His Eyes, While Hunting
Ferns in the Woods Near By.

Albert Walker, 81 years of age resid-
ing at No. ITO Mead street was the
victim Of one Of the most distressing
accidents in the history of Kenosha
county just after one CLOCK Sunday
afternoon when bullet fred from
rife in the hands of j. P. Christman
of Berryyille ploughed it's way through
the eyes of Walker, completely tearing
out the right eye and so injuring the
left eye that it is feared that the man
will be left totally blind as a result
of the accident Walker is under the
care of Doctors, George R. Ross and
George E. Thompson at st. Catherine IS
hospital here and every thing possible
lis being made to save the sight of the
injured left eye. X-ray photographs
were made of the injured eye on Sun
day and the doctors are hoping against
hope that they may he able to save it.
Christman was AR II after the
accident and brought to Kenosha and
placed in the county Jail pending full
investigation into the facts.
Christman told the story of the ac-
cident himself when he summoned the
police ambulance to his home to bring
Walker to the hospital.
II had just finished my dinner' said
Christman "and I saw a black bird
just little ways from the back door
of the house. I took twenty two rife
and walked out and took shot at the
bird. Just as I heard the click of the
rifle / heard man scream. He was
off in the bushes some distance from
the yard and I hurried over land
found this man on the ground with his
hands to his eyes and the blood run
ming from a bullet wound in his head.
just as soon as possible I got towel
and soaked it with cold water and
bound it about his eyes. I knew that
he was terribly injured. His wife was
with him and she had not known how
he had been injured. I ran to tele-
phone and called the Racine police de-
partment and told them of the acct
dent hoping that they would come and
take the man to Racine. They told
me that he should be brought to Ken
osha on account of the fact that he
was injured in this county and I mott
fed the Kenosha office and the ambu-
lance was sent out. We all came in
with the injured man. [ can not say
y
how sorry / am that the accident took
place. [ had no idea that there was
any one in the neighborhood. Walker
and his wife were back behind the
bushes. I had not seen them come into
the yard and I knew nothing of their
presence until I heard him cry out in
pain"
Mrs. Walker told the officials prac-
tically the same story as had been told
by Christman. She said that she and
her husband had come out from their
home in Racine to get some ferns and
that at the time Walker was shot he
was bending over digging fern out
Of the ground behind clump Of bush
Vs. Mis- w 01hOI AdO uOD SETH OHI1SU-
man before the shot was fred nor had
she heard the crack of the rife. When
she looked about at the agonizing cry
of her husband she had found him ly-
ing on the ground with his hands COW
ering his eyes.
The rife which brought the terrible
accident was what the boys know as
q jigger.o Tt is similar to the rifles
used by many boys about the city for
shooting at mark. Christman said
that Walker was quits distance from
the house when he was struck by the
twenty two caliber bullet.
Mrs. Walker remained with her hus-
band at the hospital all Sunday eve
ming.
Physicians declared that it might be
several days before they could say
whether or not it would be necessary
30 remove the left eye. In the mean
time they feared complications which
might bring fatality.