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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories New cable fence stops out-of-control SUV Since You Asked: Crossing Riverside in heels no easy feat Southern Oregon Journal: Happy birthday, Soldier Dad Since You Asked: Biomass One makes steam-generated power Emergency services Crime, Courts and Emergency Services New cable fence stops out-of-control SUV Emergency services Police still searching for high-speed driver Emergency services Latino relations with Medford police get mixed reviews Politics and Elections Ballot measures played little role in mobilizing voters in state Senate race 'Euphoria' over pot initiative Oregon voters narrowly reject GMO labeling measure Statewide voter turnout close to 70 percent Marsh, Seffinger win big in Ashland council races Education Crater students present play about Thoreau's night in jail Half of Oregon's community college enrollees need remedial classes Marketta Gregory: Stretch yourself for God Medford Schools Foundation supports programs the district can't Fire marshal visit prompts cancellation of Sacred Heart haunted house Environment Since You Asked: Biomass One makes steam-generated power Organic squash creates a bountiful harvest for ACCESS Prospect-area cow death likely not a wolf kill Navickas ordered to pay court filing fees Well owners can help map groundwater quality State News Kitzhaber embattled as he seeks fourth term Nation - World Obituaries Daniel Joseph "DJ" Drewien Donald J. 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Hundreds look for work at Harry & David hiring fair Umpqua Holdings more than doubles net earnings Harry & David will hold hiring fair Thursday Opinion Latest Our View: Dems should take it slow in Salem Letters to the Editor, Nov. 9 Dana Miolbank: Obama's big immigration mistake Charles Krauthammer: Seize the day, control the agenda Trails can lead to health, recreation and jobs Editorials Our View: Dems should take it slow in Salem Trails can lead to health, recreation and jobs Our View: Cheers and jeers Our View: Oregon voters go their own way Our View: Well testing program is a good deal Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Nov. 9 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 7 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 6 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 4 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 3 Guest Opinions Measure 89 provides equality for women Eagle Point needs public transportation Guest Opinion: Common Core testing sets math students up for failure Guest Opinion: Campaigning and voting 'the Oregon way' Guest Opinion: A glimpse into the reality of our elections Lifestyle Latest stories Southern Oregon Journal: Happy birthday, Soldier Dad Common courtesy not so common these days Denial is not a river in Egypt Graphic tales lure Rogue Valley residents into a world of ink and intrigue Community blog: Don't Fall For This Food Community blog: Squash-a-thon brings food, volunteers together Community blog: Quick pickling yields fast fall flavors Kitchen Call: Autumn is mustard season Healthy for the Holidays Sorting out the style debate among wine 'experts' Home and Garden Use the hidden meaning of color to enhance your home 17 things you never knew about turkeys Dear Monty: 10 tips toward a quality offer on a home How to live and work in a tiny home Dear Monty: Rent-back clause prevents financial disaster​ Health Community blog: Don't Fall For This Dr. Murray Feingold: Children are lacking face-to-face time Dr. Jeff Hersh: Ankle injuries can be tricky Health Watch: 4 reasons to get a gym buddy Community blog: Beyond Genetics for Health Hiking Biking Faith 'Walk the talk' Religion briefs Christ Unity Church shows 'Gen Silent' Religion News: American cardinal criticizes Pope Francis Religion news: Mormon church acknowledges founder’s teen bride Milestones and Achievements Wedding: Broten-Garrett Anniversary: Bucher New Arrivals Campbell given lifetime achievement award Sleep-out planned to raise funds for homeless Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Word of Mouth: Brunch at Brothers' Restaurant Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists SOU partners with local arts SOU presents 'The Drunken City' The power of human spirit Theater SOU presents 'The Drunken City' The power of human spirit Review: Funny 'Lion in Winter' roars to life at Camelot Theatre Camelot presents 'The Lion in Winter' 'Carnage' is short, smart, darkly funny Music Focus on Tanya Gabrielian as Rogue Valley Symphony evokes the Baroque SOU partners with local arts Michael Franti and Spearhead play the Historic Ashland Armory Clarinets to the forefront Book review: 'The Next Elvis,' by Barbara Barnes Sims Community Events Review: Randall Theatre's 'Secret Garden' still enchanting Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Spookadelic Halloween Funktacular promises a lively dance party Puss 'N' Boots Costume Ball and Auction Theater's haunted house not for faint of heart Dining Word of Mouth: Brunch at Brothers' Restaurant Blue Toba is a cultural experience Back Porch Bar & Grill Yu's Yummy Yan's offers great take-out Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW New cable fence stops out-of-control SUV ... Our View: Dems should take it slow in Salem ... Prospect-area cow death likely not a wolf kill ... New cable fence stops out-of-control SUV ... Our View: Dems should take it slow in Salem ... Prospect-area cow death likely not a wolf kill ... 'Coughs Up Bullet': The unlikely sequel to a Civil War mystery Willis Meadows grasped his throat and began to choke. By BILL MILLER MailTribune.com By BILL MILLER Posted Oct. 11, 2009 @ 12:01 am Updated Apr 12, 2012 at 2:25 PM By BILL MILLER Posted Oct. 11, 2009 @ 12:01 am Updated Apr 12, 2012 at 2:25 PM » Social News Willis Meadows grasped his throat and began to choke. Whatever was stuck in there wouldn't come out, and with coughing spasms growing violent, the 78-year old couldn't breathe. Just when he thought it was his time to die, something flew from his mouth, bounced on the wooden kitchen table and tumbled to a stop. Trapped in Meadows' head for nearly 58 years, here was the Civil War bullet, a one-ounce slug that had taken out the Confederate veteran's right eye when he was just a boy. "Coughs Up Bullet" was a national newspaper story in 1921. Eleven years later, in a "Ripley's Believe It or Not" cartoon, it was published around the world in 42 countries and 17 different languages. Ripley missed the most unbelievable part of the story. After 58 years, Meadows would meet the Union soldier who shot him. It's a story that might have disappeared had Central Point resident, Henry Kilburn, not talked to a local newspaper editor in 1950. With some inaccuracies in his story, Kilburn showed the editor a diary and an enlarged photograph of a bullet, with images of two men on either side. He said the one-eyed man was Meadows and the other was Peter Knapp, of Kelso, Wash., author of the diary and the man who had fired the bullet into Meadow's eye. Turns out that after Knapp saw the story, he realized he was the one who fired the bullet that lodged near Meadows' brain. Within a few months, he contacted Meadows and when they compared notes, they realized it was true. As young mortal enemies they had tried to kill each other, but now, as aging veterans, they would spend their last few years as friends, exchanging photographs and wishing each other good health. Meadows was 19 in the spring of 1862 when he joined his brothers and cousins in Company G of the 37th Alabama Volunteer Infantry. He was assigned to the western front along the Mississippi River, where his company suffered heavy casualties in one battle after another, and by the summer of 1863, they were defending the city of Vicksburg from the Union army assault. On July 1, the final push was on. Just outside of town, through a peephole in an iron boiler plate, sharpshooter Willis Meadows was firing his rifle at the Yanks. Peter Knapp, 21, and three other Union soldiers from Company H of the Fifth Iowa Volunteer Infantry were approaching from the east. They had orders to kill Confederate snipers. Knapp spotted Meadows, aimed his rifle at the boiler plate peephole and fired. Meadows fell to the side, blood running from his right eye. He was apparently dead and the men moved on. Meadows was found and brought to Union surgeons who probed for the bullet, but were never able to find it, and didn't feel it was safe to perform an operation. He was put on board a POW ship and transported to a Union hospital. Later, he was paroled to a Confederate hospital, where he spent the rest of the war as a patient and sometime nurse's aide. After the war, he returned to his farm in Lanett, Ala., just east of the Georgia state line. He married, but had no children and probably would have died in obscurity had he not coughed up the bullet. Knapp was captured a few months after Vicksburg and was held in a number of Confederate prisons, including Andersonville. After the war, he farmed in Michigan, married, and in 1887, moved to Kelso. Henry Kilburn's relationship to Peter Knapp grew out of his family's hardship, which also provided the Southern Oregon connection to this story. Peter Knapp and his wife, with no children of their own, adopted Henry Kilburn's younger sister, Minnie Mae, whose family was living in Jackson County in the early 1900s. Their mother had been divorced and abandoned by her husband. Alone, with three children to raise, she must have decided that adoption by Knapp was the best she could do for her daughter. It was Mae Kilburn Knapp who gave Henry Kilburn the story, the diary and the photograph. The Central Point newspaper editor who heard the tale from Kilburn probably had it right when he said: "Can you beat that for a story? How small this little old world is — after all." Writer Bill Miller lives in Shady Cove. Reach him at [email protected]. By BILL MILLER MailTribune.com By BILL MILLER Posted Oct. 11, 2009 @ 12:01 am Updated Apr 12, 2012 at 2:25 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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