Who Can You Believe

[Houmes]

Thanks Linda-

It's a miracle Fred survived that night. A small part of his brain was exposed from the force of the pistol breaking open his skull. He was comatose for several days afterward, and at least one newspaper reported that he had died.

After he recovered he wore a cap for the rest of his life.

I've read this line ("...a small part of his brain was exposed...") before and highly doubt--in an era where there were no antibiotics or knowledge of antiseptic treatment--that his brain was exposed. Back then, as a rule, it would have been a death sentence from meningitis. It's much more likely that they saw his skull exposed. Today, it's common to see the skull if a laceration is deep enough.