I have this deep need to figure out, and tell, my Great-Grandfather’s story. I would like to be more organized about this and, currently, I am not at all. I only have little bits and pieces that have been collected here and there.
Here is a newspaper clipping my sister found a few months ago, in a Vancouver B.C. paper from when he died.
“VANCOUVER B.C. SEPT 8th – C. G. Shawcross arrived here last night with the body of his friend, Wilfrid Butcher (Wilfred Boucher), aged 30, who he killed last Monday on Nelson Island, 100 miles up the coast from Vancouver.
The man went looking for deer. Shawcross saw the bushes move and pumped three shots so rapidly in one spot that all three passed through Butcher’s hear.
Shawcross was held to await the coroner’s inquest.”
I have always had an uneasy feeling about his death, even before anyone started doing research on him. I knew that he was killed by his friend in a hunting accident, and somewhere along the line I found out that his death was due to a gunshot to the heart (I think that info was on his death certificate).
It has always made me wonder. Was it really an accident? This is what I want to find out. This is the mystery.
Blatherskite 
Dig deeper
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That is a very sad story. Dig deeper but only if you are very strong! It might be a tale you don’t really need to know.
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this is true!
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My first inclination is to say “Shot in the heart?? Accident indeed!” However he was shot three times which would lead one to believe it was not intentional since surely one would do the job (this argument is void of course if the shooter figures this into their scheme).
Looking at just a couple articles of the hundreds online it seems that accidents are grouped into two main categories: accidental discharge and hunter error/bad judgement (where the discharge is not accidental). It seems that a major rule of firearms training is regularly being broken which is to clearly identify your target. “Buck Fever”, where the urge to shoot the quarry overcomes rational thought might play a role. Just firing into the bushes seems nuts, however there are cases where people were shot right out in the open too (see below article).
I thought the following article discussed a number of interesting elements with this issue. It happens to be from New Zealand, but maybe it will help in your research: http://www.investigatemagazine.com/jul03hunt.htm
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This is fantastic! Thank you!!
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