1904 Accidental shooting of Alfred Cam
Casualties and Fatalities - Shooting Fatality
CRANBOURNE, Monday - A fatal shooting accident occurred at Clyde on Monday afternoon, when a young farmer, named Alfred Ernest Cam, aged 27 years, was killed instantaneously. About 3 o'clock he, according to custom, said good-bye to his wife, mentioning that he would take his gun with him while going through the paddocks to make a call on a neighbour. He was last seen alive by a man named Wallace, at half past 3 p.m., when he was hurrying home on account of heavy rain. As deceased had not returned, Mrs Emily Owen (Mrs. Cam's mother) procured a lantern, and searched the yard, eventually discovering the body in the milking-shed, lying on its back, with blood oozing from a wound in the back of the neck, under the left ear. She repaired to James Wallace, the neighbour alluded to, who found the body as described, and a double-barrelled breech loader, with an empty cartridge in the left barrel, the right loaded, and the lever open, standing between two strands of barbed wire, and leaning against the foot of the fence only 3 ft away from the body. As the night was wet he removed the body to an adjoining shed. The dwelling house is 80 yards distant, but the stormy weather prevented the inmates from hearing the shot.
Mounted Constable Shebler, of Cranbourne, was communicated with, and, after taking charge of the remains, found a large wound on the right side of the neck, about 2 in. below the ear and extending upwards across the neck towards the left ear.
After examining the gun he found the right barrel loaded, while the left contained an exploded cartridge. The right hammer was at half-cock, and it took very little pressure to cause the left trigger to go off from a similar position. The constable's theory is that deceased placed the gun between the wires preparatory to milking the cows, and while in the act of walking away the barbed wire caught in the trigger, and exploded the cartridge.
A sad feature of the case is that deceased had only been married 13 months. His life was insured in the Mutual Life Association for £300.
A magisterial inquiry will be held at Clyde on Tuesday morning.
The Argus, Tuesday 6 September 1904 |
From the Editor
Cam Family researchers can find the Will of Alfred Ernest Cam via the Public Records Office of Victoria. How can you do this? Instructions are provided under the heading
Will and Probate Records at http://clydehistorytools.blogspot.com.au/
Clyde Family History Tools is the companion blogsite to provide hints for Clyde family research