James Walker, 5, of Hiddenite Seriously Injured by firecracker, Dec. 25, 1921

Child Injured by Giant Firecracker Statesville, Dec. 24—James Walker, 5-year-old son of N.M. Walker of Hiddenite, Alexander county, is in a local hospital probably fatally injured from his experience with a large firecracker. When the cracker exploded, the lad’s left hand was blown off, the ball of his left eye perforated and a hole was torn completely through his abdomen, just above the liver, and a piece of cloth was forced into the liver. From the front page of The Charlotte News, Dec. 25, 1921