Arthur I Kuntz
Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 December 1904, page 12
PLAYING INDIAN
Playing "Indian" and throwing iron weed stalks in lieu of spears,
cost the life of Arthur I Kuntz, the fourteen year old son of George C Kuntz, of
26 West Seventh street, Newport Ky. The boy died at the Good Samaritan Hospital
in this city yesterday from lockjaw, the result of being hit in the head with
one of the weeds.
A week ago last Tuesday the Kuntz boy, Armond Jeancon, aged 14, of 40 East Tenth street, Newport; Taylor Anstead and a boy named Miller, went to the mill bottoms back of Newport. They collected a lot of iron weed stalks and amused themselves by throwing these at marks for a time. Finally the Kuntz boy suggested that they "play Indian" and that they take sides. Miller and he chose a point on one side of a small creek for their "camp" and young Jeancon and Anstead took up a position on the other side.
Then war began in earnest. The boys battled for some five minutes without anyone being hit. Finally young Kuntz made a dash across the creek to attack the forces on the opposite side. Both Anstead and Jeancon stood their ground and met the onslaught with a rain of the improvised spears. Suddenly one of the spears, thrown by young Jeancon struck the Kuntz boy in the forehead, just above the right eye. He fell to the ground and lay quite still for a time. the other boys ran to him and found that he was bleeding freely from the wound. In a few moments he recovered consciousness and asked to be assisted home, saying that his head hurt.
His companions bathed his wound and then took him to the office of Dr, Thomasson, where the wound was dressed and he was told to go home and remain quiet. After a few days the wound did not bother the boy and but little was thought of it until it suddenly became inflamed and began to swell. Last Tuesday lockjaw developed and the boy was brought to the Good Samaritan Hospital Wednesday. He grew steadily worse and died in terrible agony yesterday morning. Coroner Weaver held an inquest.