The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-11-10
HUNDREDS OFFER
SYMPATHETIC AID
AT TRAGIC DEATH
OF BILLY SNYDER
Funeral of Only Son of
Widely Known Physician
Will Be Held at
Residence This
Morning

avenue, to express sorrow over
the death of their son William
Morrow Snyder who was ac-
.cidentally shot by his play
mate, Jack Perkins, son of Mr..
and Mrs. Joe Perkins, Satur-
day afternoon.
BILLY" Snyder was IL years
old and Jack Perkins is 6.
The funeral will be held at the res
idence on Ridge Park avenue this
morning at 10 o'clock and the services
will be conducted by DR.. H. NJ. Ed
monds, pastor of the Independent
Presbyterian church. Interment will be
at Elmwood cemetery. The pallbear-
ers who have been requested to act are
as follows: DR.. Stewart H. WEIGH, DR..
E. NJ Mason, DR.. ]. M. Mason, Dr.
George H Stubs, Harry Blackjack
and Newton Donahue.
The family requests that no flowers
be sent, but that such funds as would
be spent in this way be contributed to
the Children's hospital in memory of
William.
Few accidents in recent years in
Birmingham have caused such wide
spread regret and sorrow as that of
the only son of DR.. and Mrs. Snyder,
which occurred late Saturday afternoon
near the home of Newton DonahueS on
the Cahaba river near the Shade<
mountain reservoir. Mr.. and Mrs.
Perkins, who are friends Of the Snyder
family, had been staying with the Sny-
ders for few days awaiting the ar
rival of the furniture for their new
took the boys and went across Red and
Shades mountain for little outing
They were practicing target shooting
with % rifle and as one of the Dona-
hue boys was with them DR.. Snyder
stepped away for a minute.
HOW ACCIDENT OCCURRED
From the best information the fam
lily can gather Billy" who thoroughly
uNQcIStOOQ IHe Tile was showing JdCh
how to shoot it. He was standing be-
hind Jack with the weapon pointed at
the target, showing him how to aim.
When ready he stepped back a step
which caused little Jack to whirl
around suddenly and the gun was dis
charged. The bullet entered Billy:
head just above the eye, went through
the brain and fractured the skull at
the rear. The bullet, however, re-
manned imbedded in the brain
DR.. Snyder reached him almost in
stantly and he and Mr.. Donahue placed
him in the automobile and hurried to
st. Vincents. The accident occurred
between 3 and o'clock and in spite
of everything that could be done he died
at 5:45 Saturday afternoon.
ut was one of those tragic accidents
which look like a stroke of fate" said
w. o. Snyder, brother of DR.. Ross Sny-
der yesterday. (which couldn't have
been avoided. DR.. Snyder bought the rifle
for Billy two years ago as a Christmas
present and he had never even taken it
from the house except when accompanied
by his father.
FATHER AND SON WERE PALS
IF ever father and son were pals,
Ross and his son Billy were. Billy was
! never SO happy as when he and his
father could get out into the country for
| an hour or two on Saturday afternoons.
They made many such trips and all were
| in an especially happy frame of mind
Saturday.
! Mrs. Snyder ana Mrs. Perkins were
downtown when news of the accident
reached the city, and the blow to both
of them was terrible. Mrs. Perkins lost
complete control Of herself. She told
my wife that she had lost four of her own
children, but that she had never had such
| a completely heartbreaking experience
as this
Little Jack is only years old, and
| is too small to realize what has happened.
Saturday evening he said to his mother.
Mother, why are SO many people here
at the houseT
my brother and Mrs. Snyder are so
completely crushed that they have been
unable to see anyone since the accident.
1 DR.. Snyder told me Saturday night that
to him one of the most personally tragic
features of the accident was the fact
| that there were SO many people in Biz
mingham who felt that he had helped
! them in times past to save their children
! but that whan it came to this case Of
4 his own child he was completely helpless
| to do anything.
my wife and l have no children and
we have always regarded Billy as
though he were our bwn son. l have
! never before realized how close DR..
SNYDER is to so many of the people
| of Birmingham. for there has been a
literal outpouring of sympathetic mes
sages and offers of any kind of as
| sistaIce that can be rendered.
+, WIDELY KNOWN SPECIALIST
DR.. snyder is one Of the most widely
known specialists in children's diseases
in the south and during the past 20
years has treated thousands OF the
children of Birmingham
Mr. and Mrs. Perkins. who have been
visiting the Snyders, are. of course.
| crushed also by the accident. Mr.. Pei
kins has for some time been located
| in Atlanta.
DR.. George A. Hogan. coroner. held
an inqtiest Saturday night and an
nounced that the death was purely ac-
j cidental.
4 The death of the Snyder child drew
attention yesterday to other deaths in
recent years from rifles. some Of
! which have had especially tragic cir
cumstances. Comment was withheld
however, becauses while it was realized
that some of the deaths in the past
had been the result of careless shoot
ING On tho maintain everyone felt