Obituary: Adams County, Wisconsin: James SMUTNEY

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Submitted by Joan Benner, <jmbenner@tznet.com> May 2005

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From the Adams County Press, Saturday Dec 10, 1898 Page 1

Fatal Accident

On Thursday of last week, James SMUTNEY, a fourteen years old boy whose
father resides about two miles north of Fordham, in the town of Preston,
was fatally injured by the discharge of a gun in his own hands, from the
effects of which he died last Monday morning.

The boy was out in the woods with a shotgun hunting, and wishing to cross a
creek, attempted to do so on the ice. Fearing that the ice might break from
his weight upon it, he undertook to ascertain its safety by pounding upon
it with the breech of his gun. The lock hammer was drawn back and the
concussion from the blows caused the gun to discharge. The gun was pointed
to the left, and the charge took effect just in front of the left hip, and
penetrated along the peritoneum, glancing upon the pelvic bones, and lodged
behind the bowels, but not penetrating so as to permit the bowels to
protrude. The boy was able to walk home, a distance of a quarter of a mile.
Dr. Fredrick was called, but the conditions surrounding the sufferer were
such as to render the case almost hopeless from the beginning. Peritonitis
intervened and the boy died as stated.