He Fired a Salute—and Killed His Best Friend
Sam Kay was trying to greet J. McGraw before a hunting trip when a revolver shot struck McGraw in the stomach. Kay is in custody while the Stevens County coroner investigates.
While discharging several shots from a revolver and a rifle preparatory to going hunting with his bosom friend, J. McGraw, Sam Kay accidentally shot and killed McGraw with his revolver, at Camden Monday night.
Dr. A. B. Cook, coroner of Stevens County and resident of Colville, is a guest at the Halliday Hotel in Spokane. He was notified of the shooting, which is being investigated by the deputy he left in charge of his office at Colville.
It appears from the facts in Dr. Cook's possession that McGraw and Kay had arranged to meet at a saloon in Camden and start together on a hunting trip. Kay failed to keep the appointment and McGraw went to look for him, finding him in front of Calhoun's store. Upon seeing his friend, Kay fired several shots in the air from his rifle, and then repeated his performance with his revolver. One of these shots went low and penetrated McGraw's stomach, killing him almost instantly.
Kay is being held in custody, awaiting investigation of the affair by the coroner. Coroner Witter, of Spokane, was also notified of the shooting, but as it took place in Stevens County it is out of his jurisdiction. —Chronicle.
“One of these shots went low and penetrated McGraw's stomach, killing him almost instantly.”
A century later, the story still lands as a gun-safety parable: a familiar ritual, a loaded revolver, and a split-second mistake. In a region where hunting is woven into community life, it is a reminder that celebration and firearms can mix with terrible randomness.
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