The Warwickshire Herald. — 1894-06-21 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

OFFICER SHOT BY A GENERAL.  A sad accident took place on Thursday morning at the Fort of Charenton, near Paris. The troops were being inspected, and General Eden called Sub. Lieutenant Schiffmacher,and remonstrated with him for some untidiness in his outfit The general took the revolver in the lieutenant's holster and examined it. The young officer remarked that the weapon was loaded. The general, who has only just recovered from a long illness, and is partially deaf, did not hear this. The lieutenant remarked a second One In a louder tone, that the revolver was loaded, but the general, continuing not to hear or not to understand, kept handling the revolver. The captain and the colonel 'of the regiment, who were beside him, repeated the warning. The general, literally deaf to their remonstrances, fingered the trigger. Foreseeing an accident, the lieutenant moved his hand to push down the revolver, which went off. The weapon, which wee levelled at the lieutenant's head, was not sufficiently depressed, and the bullet hit Lieutenant Schiffmacher in the stomach. The young officer was picked up and removed to the zort infirmary, where the doctor found him to be seriously wounded, in fact his life was in danger. The victim has been taken to the Val de Grace military hospital. General Edon, horrified as he must have been at this involuntary murder, continued the inspection. An inquiry will of course take place. The first question that arises is: "Why was the revolver loaded I"' The rule is for officers in the Paris Army Corps to carry their revolvers unloaded. Lieutenant-General Edon was formerly head of the 9th Division of Infantry. Lieutenant Bchiffmacher remarked while his wound was being dressed that Iris father was killed at the famous charge of Reichshoffen, one of the first events of the 1870 war, Inc a bullet, also in the stomach.'  The Daily Telegraph Paris correspondent writes: Sub-Lieutenant Schiffmaeher, who received a bullet in the lower part of the body through a most unfortunate accident, has undergone a terrible operation in the Military Hospital of Val de Grace. His stomach was opened, and a button, as well as a fragment of the bullet,were taken out by a surgeon. After delicate sounding, it was discovered that the bullet was embedded in the spine, so that all hope 'of extracting it has been given up. M. Schiffmacher being young and robust, it was considered by his friends that he might recover, but the doctors were very dubious about his chances of surviving. General Edon,the involuntary cause of the accident, has given a full account of the affair. He was—u has been already stated—engaged in inspecting infantry at Charenton Fort. Noticing that SubLieutenant fichiffinacher's trousers were too long, he called the attention of the Colonel to the matter, observing at the same time with a smile that if the young officer had seen one of his men wearing his pantaloons in that manner he would not fail to reprimand him. The General then repeated the Milne words to Sub-Lieutenant Schiffmacher, and subsequently asked him if he had received the new regulation revolver. The officer replied in the affirmative, and at his superior's request shewed him the weapon. General Eclat_ having a revolver with a rather resisting trigger wsp 111IIII0OS to see if M. Schiffmacber's were like it. He accordingly directed the weapon towards the ground and pressed the trigger. Then he heard a terrible cry and saw the ill-fated young officer fall to the ground. The General was beside himself with gnef when he realised what had happened. He further states that Sub-Lieutenant ffehiffmacher did not say a word about the revolver being loaded. General Edon admits that he recently suffered much from earache, but he is by no means deaf, and would have heard the young officer easily had he spoken, as they were close to one another. His impression is that the officer was afraid to tell him that the weapon was loaded, as he had no business to appear on parade with a revolver ready for action in the field. This is General Edon's explanation of a lamentable affair, which has caused a most painful in:inroad= throughout the army.