| I just happen to have a photo of the now abandoned Mudge House on Mudge Road in Richmond/Charleston that I took last year - JMT. |  |
BAD SHOOTING AFFRAY - Two Men Seriously Hurt in a Row in Charleston Last Sunday. - ONE SHOT IN THE HEAD, and the other was pounded until he became unconscious - Wound From Shooting Pronounced Dangerous - Trouble Originated From Neighborhood Gossip.
A bad row in which two men were seriously hurt occurred at Whitneyville, in Charleston, last Sunday morning. One of the principals in the fracas is said to be in a critical condition as a result of his injuries, which may prove fatal. Considerable bitter feeling has been created in that locality and the affair generally is deeply deplored. The trouble originated from some gossip circulated in the neighborhood concerning the actions of Cornish Mudge and a certain woman. The Advocate says that Mudge had become incensed at this and last week insult was added to injury by some person placing a beef's head with a pipe in its mouth on the fence of the lady in question. As Mudge is a smoker he took this as a direct insult to himself. for some reason or other, Mudge laid the blame of the story upon William Bowen, a near neighbor. Sunday morning Mudge started for the cheese factory with his milk. At a place about midway between the Bowen and Mudge farms he met Bowen. Here he asked him about the skull on the fence and Bowen claims to have denied any connection with the affair. Words let to blows and Bowen was badly hurt about the face and head. The place where the trouble occurred was near where the old sawmill used to stand. It is out of sight from both the Bowen and Mudge homesteads. Soon after the assault two brothers and father of Mudge came along ostensibly to look after the cows. Cornish Mudge then drove away, saying he was going to the factory leaving Bowen to be taken home by his two brothers. When they arrived at the scene Bowen was lying on his chest with his face covered with blood and his eyes swollen shut. They picked him up and started to walk him home. When about mid distance to the Bowen farm they saw Mrs Bowen coming toward them. They sat Bowen down on the bank and waited for Mrs. Bowen. By this time Bowen's head hung limp on his shoulders and he was nearly unconscious from the loss of blood. Soon after Mrs Bowen's arrival her son Fred came running to the scene with a double acting 32 caliber revolver. When about three feet from Daniel Mudge he fired at him, the bullet taking effect on the frontal bone of the cranium and plowing its way under the scalp in a downward line toward the base of the skull, along the median line. The external table of the skull was fractured, thus deflecting the course of the bullet so it passed out under the scalp. Young Bowen then jumped behind Daniel Mudge and fired at Gilbert Mudge, missing him. The Mudges then grabbed him before he could shoot again. Daniel Mudge then went to his home where Dr Hazlett attended him. His wound is pronounced dangerous. The elder Bowen was taken home, where he has been lying unconscious and in a very weak condition. A hearing was held before Justice O. H. Davis in this borough on Monday morning and young Bowen was held to bail in the sum of $500 for his appearance at the September court.
Nore from Joyce: Cornish Mudge married Kittie Hubbard in May 1903. The article above does not identfy the woman with whom Cornish was supposed to be involved, but it may have been Kittie.