SYNDER, Henry
Source: Jasper County Democrat 29 Sept 1917
Henry Snyder, aged 60 of Covington, Fountain Conuty was terribly injured Friday by the premature explosion of an old cannon which was firing a salute in honor of the Fountain County men who were about to depart for Camp Taylor. Snyder was loading the piece when the explosion occurred. His right arm was torn off, his right eye blown out and a part of his face terribly mutilated. He was rushed in a hospital at Danville, Illinois in an effort to save his life. ~~~transcribed by kbz
Source: Attica Fountain Warren Democrat Sept 27, 1917 p 1
Henry Snyder, aged about 60 and single was fatally injured at Covington Friday forenoon about 10:30 o’clock by the premature discharge of an old cannon which was being used to fire salutes in honor of the 60 soldier boys who were leaving Covington that day for Camp Taylor near Louisville, Ky. Snyder was ramming the wadding in the old field piece at the time of the accident. He had put in one wad and was in the act of ramming the second wad when Peter Harmon, an old veteran who was doing the firing pulled the gun off, thinking Snyder had finished and had gotten out of the way. Snyder’s left hand was torn off and about half of the right hand was shattered. A hole was torn in his left side of his face the left eye was blown out and his skull fractured. His left arm was also badly lacerated. George Phebus a civil war veteran who was assistant was standing near the muzzle off the cannon. He was knocked down and his face was powder burned but he was not seriously injured. Snyder was taken to the Lakeview Hospital at Danville, Ill where he died of his injuries about 12:30 Sunday morning. ~~~transcribed by kbz
Source: Attica Ledger 28 Sept 1917 p 1
The rousing demonstration at Covington Friday given in honor the Fountain County young men who constituted the first 40 percent of the young men selected from the county for service in the new national army was married by an unfortunate tragedy when Henry Snyder, 60 years old and unmarried was so terribly wounded by a premature explosion of an old cannon used in firing salutes as a feature of the celebration that he died in the Danville Hospital late Saturday night. The cannon stands in the northeast corner of the courthouse yard where it was placed 18 years ago as a monument to the old soldiers of Fountain County. It is a relic of the Civil War and was secured from the government thru Congressman Charles Landis. For a number of years it has been a custom to fire a salute from it to announce the death of any old veteran in the community. Friday it was decided to use it in honoring the boys of Uncle Sam’s new army and it was taken from the courthouse yard to a vacant lot a block west of the square. It was in charge of a self-constituted committee under command of Peter Harmon, a veteran artilleryman who had always had charge of the firing of the salutes the honor being his by common consent. The first shot woke the echoes along the Wabash as a welcome salute on the train bearing the Attica delegation pulled into Covington. Others followed at intervals thereafter while the crowd detrained and formed for the procession uptown. The cannon was located about midway between the Wabash station and the square and although the accident occurred while the parade was passing only a few in the procession were aware that anything out of the ordinary had happened. The cannon is an old brass field piece, the charge being rammed down the muzzle. After the powder had been rammed down a large quantity of newspaper was used as wedding. After the gun had been loaded for the last salute, Snyder, who had been assisting in the work, started to ram down an additional among of wadding, remarking that they would “make her a good one this time!” According to eyewitnesses (among them Auditor HW Newlin) Harmon had stepped back from the gun with the firing lanyard in his hand and turned his head to look at the procession, the front of which headed by the National band was just passing when he jerked the strong. It was evidently due to this that he failed to see Snyder run up to the cannon’s mouth to rain down the additional waddling. Mr. Newline was only a short distance away and one of the few who had a direct view of the incident. He was the first to reach the injured man injured man and assisted in carrying him to the house where he was taken. He was the principal witness at the inquest which was held at Danville on Monday. The force of the explosion tore the fingers off of Snyder’s left hand and mangled the right until it was only a crushed mass of flesh and broken bones from the fingers half way up the forearm. In addition his arms and one side of his face were badly powder burned and there was a hole in his right cheek, the cheek bone being crushed. The eye on that side was also blinded by the powder. He was thrown about 10’ by the charge. George Phebus, another member of the firing squad was knocked down but was not injured. Snyder was carried to the home of a relative not far from the scene from where he was transferred about an hour later to Lake View Hospital at Danville where his death occurred. He was a well known town character and somewhat eccentric. The tragedy will doubtless silence the old cannon forever. It has long been regarded by many as unsafe and the authorities will probably order it spiked. The body of Snyder was taken to Covington for burial and the crowd at the funeral which was held Sunday and was very large. The accident recalls a similar affair in Covington almost half a century ago, when Horton C. Patterson, a young lawyer of that place afterwards for many years an honored citizen of Danville lost one of his arms by the explosion of a cannon while diring a salue in honor of a national victory. ~~~transcribed by kbz