NAUGLE, Andrew - Putnam

A terribly sad accident, carrying with it the deepest sorrow into two families and resulting in the instant death of Andrew Naugle is a brief statement of the tragedy at Coverdale on last Saturday evening. As we hear the particulars it appears that Andrew Naugle, Harvey Coverdale and his brother were amusing themselves by playing war and pretending to shoot Indians. While engaged in this sport Naugle raised an unloaded shotgun and snapped it at Coverdale who was standing within a few feet of him in the kitchen door while Naugle stood near the kitchen stove. Coverdale was armed with what he supposed was an unloaded double-barreled shotgun. He placed it to his side and snapped the first barrel at Naugle and no harm resulted.  Unfortunately he then snapped the second barrel and this was followed by an explosion and the entire load of shot struck Naugle in the head at the base of the brain inflicting a wound that tore away the base of his skull and the brain. The wound man fell dead in his tracks – he never moved or gave evidence of life after he fell to the floor.  Dr. King, the County Coroner was immediately notified by telephone of the tragic affair which happened about six o’clock pm and he immediately drove down there. He found the dead man on the kitchen floor of the Naugle residence just as he had fallen with the gun he had been playing with still grasped in his hand.  A brother of Harvey Coverdale, Jackson Coverdale was present when the shooting took place and he made a statement corroborating Harvey’s account of the accident. There were no other members of the household present to witness the occurrence. In the testimony of the Coverdale brothers it was learned that these young men had been in the habit of playing Indian and participating in mimic warfare and the sport was not new to them.  Dr. King makes an accidental homicide as give as the cause of death. The victim of this accident, Andrew Naugle is a son of Milton Naugle and he was in his 19th year. Harvey Coverdale who fired the unfortunate shot is a cousin of the deceased and made his home with the Naugle family. They reside about a mile southeast of the town of Cloverdale.  The young men were the best of friends and naught of malice or intent is attributed to young Coverdale who fired the fatal shot. – kbz