Evening star., 1952-07-28
The Stevenson Story
Accidental Shooting of Cousin
Cast Pail on AdIuIs S Boyhood
By Roger :. Lone
Assoeiaied Press Stuff Writer

Associated Press Sfuff Wrifor
SPRINGFIELD. ILL.,, July 28.-A
tragic episode marred the boyhood
of Adlai E. Stevenson in his 18th
year.
A rifle he held discharged unex-
pectedly. fatally wounding a
cousin by marriage. Ruth Mary
Merwin, on December 80. 1912
The death was ruled accidental at
q coroner's inquest the next day
This is what happened.
A teen-age party was arranged
for friends of Adlais older sister,
Elizabeth. Adlai was given an
early supper but permitted to join
the guests afterwards. Meantime
the parents left the house to cal
on neighbors.
One Of the guests was a student
at a military academy home fol-
the Christmas, holidays. Adlai was
sent to get out a 90 caliber rife
and the academy youth proceeded
to entertain the others by demon
strating the manual Of arms after
examining the weapon to make
sure the magazine and chamber
were empty. The inspection
proved faulty.
Bullet Strikes Girl.
When Adlai sought later to
duplicate the manual Of arms
routine, the rifle fired and the
: bullet pierced the s,Merwin girls
forehead.
Investigation afterwards indi-
Gated that a cartridge in the
magazine, unobserved, had cham
bered, perhaps when the butt OF
the rife banged the floor In
handling.
It fired when the weapon was
iolted a second time.
Last winter, Gov. Stevenson told
a reporter the incident hadn't been
mentioned to him, and that he had
!. spoken of it to no one in the 80
: years that had then elapsed.
He was asked to relate the story.
and did so.
Upon finishing elementary
school, Adlai attended high school
in Normal, H., twin city to Bloom
ington. His scholastic record was
not particularly impressive, and
after graduation he was refused
admittance to Princeton Univer-
sity.
Edited School Paper.
He enrolled at Choate School in
Wallingford, Conn, to brush up on
the university entrance require
mentS. There, he edited the
Choate News, laying the ground
work for newspaper activity that
was to occupy him before the law
and finally politics, superseded.
Gov. Stevenson still owns q
quarter interest in the Blooming
ton Paragraph. a prosperous daily
In his home town. He resigned as
vice president and director Of the
paper after his election as Cover
nor.
He entered Princeton on the sec
ond try. His chief distinctions
there were appointment as manag-
ing editor Of the Daily Princeton
ian. election to the senior council
and placing third in a senior poll
to pick the biggest politician"
He is a graduate Of Princeton
and studied at Harvard Law Schoo
for two years. His departure from
Harvard was occasioned by the
death Of an uncle, Hibbord o
Davis, who had managed the Pan.
tagraph.
Adlai, who inherited a share o1
the paper, returned to take 9
hand in running it.
Grew Restless at Editing.
MIR. Stevenson spent couple oi
years In various editorial capac-
tiles, but grew restless and decided
to continue the study Of law. He
entered Nrthwestern University
Law School and earned his degree
With his schooling over Gov
Stevenson set out for anther look
at Europe before settling down.
Abroad. he was struck by the
Idea Of getting an exclusive inter-
= view with Foreign Minister Chich-
erin of Russia on the then con-
troversal new economic policy.
He btained newspaper creden-
tials and made his way to Moscow,