168

Fatal Shooting at the Theatre.---In
the last act of the frontier drama of "May Cody,"
played at Ford's Opera House last night by William
F. Cody, otherwise known as "Buffalo Bill." and introducing
scouts and Indians of the Far West, who
have figured in realistic adventures as exciting
as those depicted on the boards, an accident
occurred of a kind that is fortunately
rare, and the result of which, it is hoped, will
not be serious. There is a great deal of firing from
guns and pistols in the piece, but these weapons, of
course, have only blank charges. In one of the exciting
scenes near the close of the drama, Buffalo
Bill, while riding on a pony up a mimic mountain
fired several shots at supposed Indian pursuers, and
by some gave mischance one barrel was loaded with
ball, and a boy about sixteen years of age,
named Micheal Gardner, occupying a front
seat in the gallery, received a bullet in the
left shoulder. According to one statement, he
said at once to those sitting near him that
he was shot, while according to another account he
did not know he was shot until he left the gallery
and reached the street. Anyhow, when the blood
began to show on his clothing he was removed to the
drug store at the corner of Baltimore and Eutaw
streets and Drs. Wall and Crim were summoned to
attend him. The doctors probed inward as far as
they could without finding the ball. The size of the
wound indicated that it had been caused by a mini-
ball, whereas, it is said, Buffalo Bill fired from a pistol.
The wound was bandaged and stopped from bleeding,
and the injured lad placed in a carriage and driven to
his home, No. 136 West street, accompanied by Dr.
Crim, who was yet with him at a quarter of one o'clock
this morning. The ball had not had been found at that
time, and it was reported to have penetrated very deep
in the direction of the lungs. As the accident was
not known in the audience during the performance, it
caused no excitement.

At a late hour this morning Dr. Crim stated that he
regards the wound as a mortal. The ball entered just
below the shoulder blade and took a direct downward
course, passing through the lungs and lodging
somewhere near the spine in the small of the back,
although the exact location is not known. It is almost
impossible for the lad to recover. It seems that the
bullet was fired from a rifle, which was loaded
intentionally with bullets, but with a charge of
powder so small that it could not carry the
bullet a long distance. The charge of powder was
five grams for each bullet. At first sight it seems
strange that the bullet fired from below it should have
taken a downward course into the body of the boy,
who was in the gallery. Buffalo Bill was on a height
representing a mountain, however, and the boy was
leaning far over the front of the gallery. This arrangement
of positions readily explains the course
taken by the bullet.

The boy cried out that he was struck the moment he
was shot, but thought it came from the blow given
by a boy behind him. In a few minutes he found out
his mistake and war assisted down stairs by comrades.