5-Year-Old Left to Watch Baby Accidentally Shoots Him, 1925

From the Aug. 20, 1925, issue of The Landmark, Statesville, N.C.

Discharge from Gun Enters Infant’s Head When Boy Pulls Trigger of Gun While Playing With It

Rocky Mount, Aug. 18—Essett Colbert, 11-month-old infant, fatally shot yesterday when his 5 ½ year old brother began playing with a loaded shotgun at the Colbert home near this city, was buried this afternoon in the Powell burying ground near the child’s home.

The infant, the son of Mr. and Mrs. J.E. Colbert, was killed yesterday, and investigation by authorities led to the conclusion that the child’s death was accidental. It appears that its brother was left to watch the baby when the father went to the farm and the mother into the kitchen to attend to daily chores and that when the parents left the bedroom the 5 ½ year old boy reached beneath the mattress of the bed, and taking there from his father’s gun, snapped it. The discharge entered the baby’s head, making large wounds and killing the child.

The story told by the child who had the gun at the time it went off was that he had been in the habit of sneaking the gun from beneath the mattress where his father kept it whenever his parents were not at home, and playing with it. It appears, however, that until several days ago the gun was kept empty but that at that time Mr. Colbert loaded it with the intention of using it in case of emergency. Yesterday the lad took the gun from its hiding place, as was his custom, but when he snapped it it went off, and caused the death of his infant brother.