The Ouachita Telegraph - Eugene McCranie Accidentally Shoots Self

Date: Oct 2000
Submitted by: Lora Peppers <lpeppers@ouachita.lib.la.us>



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The Ouachita Telegraph
Saturday, August 27, 1887
Page 3, Column 2

A Distressing and fatal Accident.
 Last Tuesday morning, Eugene, son of Mr. S.M. McCranie, aged 13 years, went
out hunting and accidentally shot himself the wound resulting fatally.  Dr.
Hilton, one of the physicians called in, furnishes us with the following
particulars, learned from the little fellow before he died:
 While in the woods he discovered a muscadine tree heavily fruited and he
placed his gun against the tree and climbed up to get some muscadines.
While up the tree he heard a noise in the bushes which he supposed was
caused by a deer.  He hastened down and in snatching up the gun the hammer
caught on a log or vine which caused the gun to explode, the whole charge –
buckshot – taking effect in his arm between the elbow and shoulder,
completely shattering it.  The little fellow was a long way from home, but
ran as far as he could, several hundred yards, when he fainted and fell from
the loss of blood.  He afterwards regained consciousness but was too weak to
walk and crawled as far as he could, reaching nearly to the plantation
fence.  Night came on and then Mr. McCranie suspecting that his boy had met
with an accident, went out to search for him.  He was finally found by means
of his faithful do, who remained by his side, and kept up a continual
barking.  Doctors Calderwood and Hilton were summoned for the purpose of
amputating the arm, but the little fellow was too weak to undergo the
operation, life being then nearly extinct and blood-poison having set in,
from which he died Thursday.
 The Telegraph extends to Mr. and Mrs. McCranie its heartfelt sympathy in
their sore bereavement.

NOTE:  Just below this account is Eugene’s death notice.

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