Guns Kill People Particularly if Chickens are Involved

September 1890

Sunday while the family of Joseph DeBouef of St, Francisville were all away from home with the exception of two sons, a fearful accident occurred. August, the oldest son, age 24, was accidentally shot by his brother Lewis,19, through the abdomen with a revolver.

The boys found the revolver in the house, and it contained two cartridges. They concluded they would shoot them off. They went out on the porch and the oldest shot first at a chicken and missed it. His brother then shot and missed it. He said he would kill it and proceeded to put in a new cartridge. While he was loading the revolver it went off and shot his brother, the ball entering the left side of his abdomen and passing through his body coming out the opposite side. A doctor from Vincennes was called and dressed the wound.

The wound was a bad one and proved fatal. The young man was soon to wed a prominent young lady of St Francisville. His brother was distraught with grief.

An inquest by the coroner was held. After hearing the evidence, the jury’s exonerated the brother.

Moral of the story:  Shooting chickens can be dangerous to your health.