|
A partial clipping from the The Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper, December 3, 1896: |
||
|
||
|
A distressing accident, which resulted in the death of John M. Woolley, an eighteen-year-old boy, whose parents reside at East Norwood occurred late yesterday afternoon. Young Woolley was one of a party of four boys who were out hunting near Pleasant Ridge.
At the time he received his death wound he was joking with a companion, who carried a loaded shotgun, which was accidentally discharged and the entire load pierced his left breast, killing him almost instantly. The weapon was held by Ralph Hallam, age 17, who lives at Maple and Sexton (sic-"Section") avenues, Norwood, who however, was in no way to blame for the deplorable affair. Both of the lads had been friends from childhood, and were daily in each other's company. Yesterday morning a hunt was proposed, and both of the boys decided to spend the day in quest of game. They invited Louis Cordes and Russell Bachelor, lads about the same age as themselves, to accomany them, and it was agres to go to the farm of Mr. A. O. Russell, grandfather of young Bachelor, who lived near Pleasant Ridge. Bachelor and Cordes provided the guns and Hallam and Woolley the hounds. The guns were old weapons and had not seen much service recently. One of them was a double barreled and the other was a single breach-loading gun. Both were loaded heavily with shot. |
After the boys arrived at the farm Bachelor said he would go up to his grandfather's house and notify him that they were going to hunt on his grounds. The house stands on a knoll, and the four boys walked together until the foot of it was reached. Then Bachelor went on ahead. Hallam was in the advance of Wooley, and carried his gun gripped by the barrel. Wooley came running toward him after he had stopped walking and playfully throwing his hands up in the attitude of a prize fighter, said: "This is how Fritzsimmons is going to whip Sharley to-night."
Hallam made a side step just then, and endeavored to change the gun from one hand to the other. Then there was a report, and the gun discharged, for, in shifting the gun, the trigger one of the barrels had caught in a crease in young Bachelor's trousers. The charge of shot entered under Woolley's left arm and penetrated the lung. He fell to the ground and did not utter a word. ... The boys then in despair, ran up to the Russel (sic - Russell) residence and told of what had happened. William Glass, who is employed by Mrs. Russell, then hastened to the scene of the shooting. He saw at a glance that the young man was dead, and then notified Coroner Haerr. The latter visited the scene last night and reviewed the remains, which were later removed to Behymer's undertaking establishment. ..." |
|
|
The boys were sons of long-time residents of Norwood at the time. John M. Woolley was the son of John and Mary Woolley (note: there was another older John Woolley—possibly a relative— living in Columbia Township, but his wife was Jane). Louis (Lewis?) Cordes may have been the 20-year old son of John and Mary Cordes. A. O. Russell was well known, even today, as the head of the U. S. Printing Company and U. S. Playing Card Company, still a Norwood business (but soon not to be).
|