Thursday, February 21, 2008

The Tools of War Remain Dangerous

Civil War Reenactors

A very sad story today out of Richmond, Virginia. A man who sold Civil War relics, including artillery shells, cannonballs, and bullets, was killed in his backyard yesterday, apparently while trying to disarm Civil War era ordnance.

Police say Samuel H. White was the victim. He was the owner of Sam White Relics, which according to his website, promised to "disarm, clean, and preserve your Civil War period and earlier military ordnance" for the small sum of $35.

Neighbors reported hearing a small explosion. A fifteen pound chunk of metal landed on the roof of a house nearly a quarter mile away. Fortunately, no one was injured from the shrapnel.

This is an extremelly unfortunate accident. My thoughts and prayers are with Mr. White's family.

I suppose this story may serve as a reminder to us all. Though these tools of war were produced nearly a century and a half ago, they remain extremelly dangerous.

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