Quite a tragic accident occurred two miles from Pine Level yesterday morning about 8:30 o’clock when Gaston Oliver shot and seriously if not fatally wounded James Woodard, the 15-year-old son of Mr. James Woodard, following a wrestling match between the two boys. The wounded boy was immediately hurried here to the hospital where he is not expected to live.
According to information received here, these boys, along with several others between the ages of 9 and 16, were playing in the road in front of the home of a Mr. Thompson near Pine Level. They had been wrestling but the Woodard boy had stopped and was sitting by the side of the road eating peanuts when young Oliver took a shotgun from one of the younger children and approached the unfortunate youth, telling him that he was going to shoot him. In a moment the gun was discharged, the load taking effect in the left side of the young Woodard’s head, knocking out his left eye and completely crunching the skull on the left side of his head.
Aid was summoned at once and the boy was brought here, reaching the hospital about 9:30 o’clock. The wounds, which were found to be of a serious nature, were dressed and the unfortunate boy was made as comfortable as possible.
Sheriff J.P. Parker was notified and Deputy Sheriff Forest Pittman went to Pine Level and brought Gaston Oliver, who did the shooting, to jail where he will await trial. Oliver claims that he was not angry at the time of the shooting and says that it was entirely accidental that the gun was discharged. He will probably be given a hearing in Recorder’s Court Tuesday to determine the disposition of the case.
Oliver is the son of Mrs. Tom Oliver and is about 16 years of age. The boys are near neighbors and according to our information were on friendly terms. The tragedy has cast a gloom over the entire community.
From the front page of The Smithfield Herald, Friday morning , Nov. 27, 1925
newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073982/1925-11-27/ed-1/seq-1/
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