John R. Young, Family, and Howard D. Roberts' Infant: Dramatic Survival After Accidental Shooting
Published October 11, 2026 at 10:56 PM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
While traveling near Deming, New Mexico, John R. Young and his family, along with W. M. Black and his family, were in a wagon. A Winchester rifle tied to the bows of the wagon accidentally discharged. The bullet struck John R. Young in the shoulder, passed through his six-year-old son's thigh, and fatally struck an infant grandchild who was nursing. The mother, Mrs. Howard D. Roberts, was struck on the breast, but the bullet's force had been spent, causing only a bruise. While the infant died, the other victims survived and were under surgical care.
In Their Own Words
“On the 28th of March, 1892, while traveling near Deming, New Mexico, a most distressing accident occurred. Brother W. M. Black and I were traveling in the same wagon, with our families. A Winchester rifle was tied to the bows of the wagon, and by some means it was discharged. The ball passed through my left shoulder, breaking the bone, then passed through the fleshy part of my six-year-old son's thigh, and then struck the head of my infant grandchild, who was nursing at its mother's breast. The bullet then struck the mother, Mrs. Howard D. Roberts, on the breast, but its force being spent, it only inflicted a slight bruise and fell at her feet. The child died instantly. The injuries to myself and son were severe, but through the mercy of the Lord and the surgical skill we were able to obtain, we were spared to recover.”
— John R. Young, Memoirs of John R. Young, Utah Pioneer, 1847
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 25 April 1892 (Vol. 54, No. 17). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1892-04-25_54_17 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Full first-person account: Young, John R. Memoirs of John R. Young, Utah Pioneer, 1847. Salt Lake City: The Deseret News, 1920, pp. 238-239. https://archive.org/details/memoirsofjohnryo00younrich
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