Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 34, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 January 1902 — Close Call for Wife and Babe. [ARTICLE]

Close Call for Wife and Babe.

They Narrowly Escaped Accidental Death at Her Husband’s Hand. There was a serious shooting accident in town last Friday morning, and which might easily have been a terrible double tragedy. Clifford Passons, a young married man living in the extreme northwest part of town, was cleaning hia shot gun, and in the opertion of extracting a shell, the gun was discharged, by some unknown means. In the next room, separated only by a thin plaster partition, Mrs. Passons sat with her baby in her lap, and was facing the wall behind which was her husband with the gun. The load passed through the partition and

the main portion of the charge passed between Mrs. Passpns’ feet, which were 3 or 4 inches apart. The load had not gone far enough to scatter much, but some 10 or 12 shot struck the toes of one foot and 6 the other. They cut the shoes to pieces, and badly'shattered the large bone in one of her big toes. On the other foot a single i stray shot broke a bone~ in the i little toe. These are the only i broken bones, but the toes on both j ; feet are much lacerated. (

The accident is a painful one and will lay Mrs. Passons up for several weeks. But how easily it might have been much worse! A very slight greater elevation of the gun and both and babe would have been shot to death. Dr. Johnson was called and extracted most of the shot, and gsvß the other necessary surgical attention. He does not think any of the injured toes will have to be amputated.