I Shot My Brother Joe

King Wesley Shirts

as told to Garry Shirts

“He’d (John) go to the farm every day with a bob sled or saddle horse and this one time, why he came from the farm and he pulled in back of the  place where we had for the cows. He had a load of hay and he had a .22  rifle and I said. “Ill take that .22 rifle in the house.” It was just about dark, and he said, “ No, just leave it where it is.”  Joe was milking a cow in the  coral and I said, “I’ll take it into the house.” He said, “No, just leave it alone!” I said “I’ll take it, and I’ll   be careful with it.”  And so Dad said, “O.K.,  but don’t  touch it, just leave it like  it is.” 

 

So I went around the corner from  where he was, and I put it up to my shoulder and aimed just like I was  shooting.  And I pulled the trigger, and sure enough it shot! Joe was sitting down milking the cow in the coral, and the bullet went through a crack in the slab fence, hit a spike that didn't have a head on it and it followed that spike  right around and hit Joe in the right shoulder. It just pierced his lung and  went out right by his back bone.  Then it went over and  stuck in a board  back of where he was.

 

Well, Dad heard the shot and he  jumped off of there and he said, “Why did you shoot that?” I told you not to!” I said, “I hit Joe!”  Joe was laying down on the ground in the coral. Dad opened the gate and run into where he was, and he picked him up and carried him into the house which was probably 100 yards away. Carried him to the  house and man I’m telling you I left!  I didn't stay!” I saw what had happened. I just laid the gun down there and I left! And it was real cold  weather because there was about 3 feet of snow.

 

Dad went into the house  and he didn't know what to do. He covered up Joe. He was bleeding so bad. I can’t remember  whether it was Mother or Dad who went over to  the store. Brig Stevenson’s  store, and told him to call the doctor. Well Dr. Whitmore lived in Roosevelt. So they called Dr. Whitmore and the snow was  so deep. He had four head of horses, as I remember it,  He came to Mt. Emonds or Blue Bell with 4 head of horses. He changed horses there, and bucked the snow from there to  Mountain Home. It was about in the  neighborhood of 60 miles that he had to   go. This happened about 5 o’clock  in the afternoon, and he never got there until about 11:00 the next day  after traveling all that night, in the deep snow, and changing  horses, and when he got there my brother Joe was just about dead.

 

Mother  told me about it. She said he took a long stick and he cleaned  this all out  and he was bleeding so bad, but he stayed with him for about 3 or  4  days. He stayed right there and worked with him until the danger was all  over. After he figured the danger was all over, why then, he went back to  Roosevelt. But in the meantime, I had gone to my Uncle Will’s place. I didn't  dare go home. Uncle Will told me what was happening. I didn't dare go home because I was afraid my dad would beat me so bad I couldn't stand it. I felt  real bad about it of course because I disobeyed my dad.    And so after the doctor was gone and Joe was out of danger, I went back   home. Dad put his arm around me and he said, “See, I told you not to do that.”  (When Wes was telling this story in his later years , he still got  chocked up and had a hard time talking).

4 April 1917

Roosevelt Standard