Buckingham County Obituaries, Part IV

Buckingham County, Virginia.  Photo by Joanne Yeck.

Click here for Buckingham County Obituaries, Part I

On January 5, 1899, the Appomattox and Buckingham Times printed this report from Ransons’ correspondent “Artificer”:

Editor Times – A shocking accident occurred on the farm of Mr. Samuel D. Holman, a few miles from this place last Friday afternoon, when George, the 14-year old son of Mr. Holman, accidentally shot and instantly killed his cousin, Sammy Loving, about the same age.

The two boys had been hunting together all day, and in the afternoon came home for dinner, and afterwards started to get to Mr. Connor’s store, at Eldridge’s Mill. They had not gone far from the house when Sammy Loving said to George Holman, “You hold my gun while I run back and get my rabbit skins to sell Mr. Connor.” George says he reached out to take Sammy’s gun, and just then his own gun, which he held under his arm, went off in some way he does not know how, the load entered the boy’s head, tearing away the whole top and scattering his brain on the ground and fence which was near the boy. He died instantly, George dropped his gun and ran back to the house almost scared to death, not knowing the boy was dead.

An inquest was held Saturday, and the jury returned a verdict of accidental killing.

The burial took place Saturday afternoon at Mr. Holman’s.

The deceased was the oldest son of Mrs. Mary Loving and a nephew of Mr. Sam Holman.
It will be remembered by the readers of the TIMES that only a few weeks ago, on the same place, Ansell Newton, a boy about 15 years old who also lived at Mr. Holman’s, was found dead in the woods near home, having been shot and killed by someone unknown. He had been hunting during the day with a youth, Willie Jamison, and not coming home at night friends went to look for him. Not finding him at the Jamison home, they became alarmed and looked for him all night and until noon the next day, when they found his body in the woods.

The Jamison boy was arrested and placed in jail, but was afterwards released on bail, and will be tried by the grand jury next court. It is believed by most people that Newton was accidentally killed by the Jamison boy, and that he was afraid to tell it.

It is remarkable that two boys of about the same age, both living on the same farm, should be killed in the same manner so near the same time. At the time the Newton boy was killed George Holman was in school at Well Water.
The sad death of young Loving has cast a gloom over the entire community, who deeply sympathize with the sorrowing mother in her sore affliction.