SAD OCCURRENCE AT

Colonist, Volume XXXIV, Issue 7033, 9 June 1891, Page 4

SAD OCCURRENCE AT

A-rJEPtoiiABLti! oooorrenca happened 'on Tuesday, April 22nd, at the houisie of Mr J. T. Staflford," Leicester; thereby one of that gentleman's sons weß shot dead, and ths Other fatally ißJored. It appoara that in the course of the morning the boja were iieara Paying io their bedroom by one of the ier? vapts. The eldest fit the boys, named Cecil, 'was thirteen and the youngesfc eight yeare. The nursemaid afterwards heard a report; and. then Cecil calle 1 out, " Speak, Roy, aire you hurt?"; Shortly after this another bang toU i heard; bat the nursemaid- paid no attention to it,, .not supposing anything 'unusual had happened. Soon afterwards .Another child came running downstairs in a state of terror, and oh going to the bedroom oooupied by the two boys a shocking speotaole presented itself. The eldest lay dead, with a revolver near him, he having shot himself in the temple, while Boy was lying in a pool of blood with a bullet wound iuhia head. Three doctors were at once Summoned, and -they stated that in tbe case of the eldest lad death musk have been instantaneous. The bullet had entered the youngest boy's brain, and his case was hopeless. He was quickly removed to the infirmary, where he died in the evening, Subsequent enquiries showed that the eldest boy bad obtained the pistol from one of his companions, and he seems to have got some cartridges and practised with it in one of the parks. He told the nursemaid the previous evening that he had got a revolver, but asked her hot to tell his mother, and she did not do so. It is thought that while playing with the revolver, whioh must have been loaded in all six chambers, it must have gone off unexpectedly, killing the younger lad, In bia sudden grief ai what had happened the lad probably placed the pistol to his right temple and discharged the weapon. '... Two of the chambers of the revolver had been recently discharged when it was found, and the remaining four, were loaded. . "'" -" -■" - ■"'"■" " '-. *. .