Untitled

Colonist, Volume XXXV, Issue 7172, 18 November 1891, Page 4

A dkeadful accident has occurred at South Melbourne which affords another illustration of the dangers attendant on the careless handling of firearms. A young married woman named Best was the victim of the accident, which, though the husband has been placed under arrest, there seems no doubt it was. Mr Best, who is a commercial traveller, says that on his business jonrneys be always took with him a revolver, and his wife kept another in the house for the purpose of protecting harseJf against burglars or other intruders. On Monday afternoon after luncheon ha lay down on his bed, and his wife brought her revolver — a six-chambered Webley — which was loade \ in every chamber, and aßked him to examine it, as the trigger was difficult to pull. His wife rested on the bottom of the bed, and while he was overlooking the firearm it exploded, and the ballet lodged in the abdomen of his wife. He rusbed off excitedly #or a doctor, and the wife was taktn toMb.9 Hospital, but she died very shortly afterwards. Her depositions could not ba ta&en, bnt from what she was able to say.-it is gathered that the husband's account of the affair is a trathful pne. . „