PULLED GUN TO FOOL GIRL
April Fool Joke Might Have Had Serious Termination

            As the result of being the victim of an April fool prank, 14-year-old Cora Tanner, of Dayton township, is nursing a badly injured limb containing the contents of a 22-calibre revolver, which was shot into her by a companion this morning shortly after 9 o’clock at her home in that village.

William Luce, a cousin of the injured girl, had been planning an April fool joke, and he with another companion fixed it up to scare her with a 22-calibre revolver they had run across. Going into the room the supposedly harmless gun was pointed at the girl, who naturally felt more or less uneasy at its presence. With a laugh the boy told her it was not loaded, then pulled the trigger.

The bullet entered the left limb a short distance above the knee and is still imbedded in her flesh. She was brought to this city and Dr. Hathaway probed for the missile, but was unable to find it. In a few days the X-ray will be used to determine the location of the bullet and in all probability it will be extricated.

This is probably the last April fool joke of that kind the young man will ever play again. It is to be considered fortunate that the weapon was not pointed at a more vital spot, for without a doubt the “joke” would have had a much more serious termination.

Miss Tanner was taken back to her home, where she is resting fairly comfortable this afternoon.¹

1. Ottawa (Illinois) Free Trader, 5 Apr 1907, p16, col 2