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1933: Hercules Paloumpis Shot in Arm by Brother Andrew

Submitted by David Uphoff 2010

This article was taken from the July 27th, 1933 edition of the Minonk News-Dispatch.

Hercules, five year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Tom Paloumpis, was shot in the left arm by his brother, Andrew, eight years old, with a 32-calibre revolver last Thursday evening back of the Princess Sweet Shop. The shooting was done in an innocent playful way.

Tom Elliot had driven up with his Ford car and had entered the Princess Sweet shop rear door, leaving the car door open. The two boys climbed into the car, where Andrew found the revolver. Thinking it a toy gun like those with which they had often played, he pointed the muzzle toward his little brother and shouted: "Hercules, I am going to shoot you," and pulled the trigger.

The bullet struck Hercules' arm half way between the wrist and elbow, took a course upward, and came out adjacent to the bone above the elbow.

The boy was taken to Dr. H. A. Millard's office for treatment and x-ray pictures were taken. These show that the bullet grazed the bone. Whether it will result in a stiffened bone will not be known until later.

In the meantime Hercules, who has everybody around town as his friend, is getting along nicely and there is no infection.