Monday, August 3, 2015

Six-Year-Old Kills Sister With 'Unloaded' Rifle, 1920

“Fatal Accident” from the Aug. 19, 1920 issue of the Rockingham Post-Dispatch

Young Girl Instantly Killed in Rockingham Monday when “Unloaded” Rifle is Accidentally Discharged. A Most Promising Life Cut Short.

Rarely has an accident happened in this community that brought more genuine sorrow to such a wide circle as that which occurred last Monday morning when the sweet young life of Mary Hinson was snuffed out in a twinkling.

About 8:30 o’clock Monday morning, two children of Mr. and Mrs. Hoyt Hinson, Mary, aged 9, and Charles, aged 6, were playing together in a room of the Hinson home on Washington Street. The little fellow explored a closet and found therein a 22-caliber rifle that had been hid there by Mr. Hinson and which was supposed to be unloaded. Mary, the only girl of the home, called to her brother to bring her the rifle so she could see if it was loaded. He brought it to her and she placed the muzzle to her left eye to look down it, when the weapon fired. The bullet plowed through her eye and came out the top of her head. The little girl gave one scream and then crumpled to the floor, death being practically instantaneous.

As to just how the rifle was fired is not known; the little boy may have had his finger on the trigger when she looked down the barrel, or in trying to see clearly down it she may have accidentally knocked the weapon against a chair or bureau, thus causing it to fire.

The accident cast a gloom over her young acquaintances and friends of her parents. She was an unusually bright and loveable child, and would have been 10 years old next May. Charles will be 7 years old in December.

Mary was in the third grade in school last term, and easily passed her work so that she would have been in the 4th grade this fall.

The funeral was conducted from the residence Tuesday morning by Rev. Leon Hall, with interment in Eastside cemetery. A touching incident at the service was the singing of the “Shine” song by her fellow members of the Bright level band. The pall-bearers were H.J. Rollins, James Covington, Reid Garrett, Roy Phillips, Carlyle Gibson and Harvey Terry.

Mr. and Mrs. Hoyt Hinson have the deepest sympathy of our people in this untimely cutting off of a bright young flower.

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