Anything can be used as a weapon, including the mighty pointy pitchfork. Below are some old accounts of pitchfork accidents, attacks, and murders. All but one account happened over 100 years ago in the United States.
1. Bad Landing
Some of the most common pitchfork incident reports involve accidents on the farm. However, we find that the handle was just as deadly as the tines. For example, in 1917 we read:
“Roy Seifert, aged 17, of Maiden Rock, swung from a hay mow on a rope, landing on the handle of a pitchfork and was killed.” [Source]
2. County Farmer
Of course, those tine, prongs, were hella deadly. From 1903:
“Alfred Key, a Henderson county farmer, fell on the prongs of a pitchfork and was killed.” [Source]
3. Careful How You Carry
Even carrying around a pitchfork is dangerous. From 1859:
“A free colored man named David Blake, residing with Mr. James Frazer, near Elkton, was thrown from a horse on Tuesday and killed. He had a pitchfork on his shoulder, and in falling the pitchfork pierced his neck.” [Source]
4. Child Impaled
Children were not spared from getting pitchforked. In fact, it was disturbing to find so many accident reports involving children and farm accidents. From 1930:
“Laverne, 8-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E.W. Shurtz, died in a hospital here last night from injuries received when she was struck by a runaway cow and impaled on a pitchfork.” [Source]
5. Rat Stabbing
Of course, there are also a great number of reports of pitchforks being used as handy weapons. Case in point is the woman who battled some rats in a pile of corn in 1906:
“Cambridge City has a woman, Mrs. H.B. Boyd, wife of a prominent doctor, who is not afraid of rats. Recently the plucky little woman discovered rats in a pile of corn and with pitchfork killed 23 large rodents.” [Source]
6. Wildcat Attack
And then there was a gentleman who was attacked by a wildcat in 1916:
“A Mexican working for the W.T. Jenkins company at the Rock Creek ranch, north of Battle Mountain, was ferociously attacked last Wednesday by an enraged wildcat which sprang upon him while he was walking through some brush. The Mexican had nothing to defend himself with except his hands and feet, and he put up a winning fight with the wildcat. He finally succeeded in throwing the animal to the ground, and, holding it with his hands and knees, called to nearby companions for help. One of the other men came to his aid with a pitchfork and soon killed the animal. The Mexican was badly bitten and clawed by the enraged beast.” [Source]
7. Killed Instantly
Of course, there are plenty of reports of murder by pitchfork in the newspaper archives. From 1876:
“Dr. Adolphus Dunn, was killed near Honaker’s ferry, Butler County, on Friday June the 9th 1876. Some men whose names we did not learn, stabbed him with a pitchfork and killed him almost instantly. The men were arrested and were undergoing an examining trial at Morgantown, at last account.” [Source]
8. In Pennsylvania
Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania, 1874:
“Near McConnelsburg, Pa., on the 12th, Mrs. John Moore, while in a state of mental aberration, shot and killed her husband who was asleep, and then with a razor inflicted horrible wounds upon the head and neck of one of her children, and with a pitchfork almost killed another.” [Source]
9. Mightier Than the Pistol
Finally, here is a report of a man who brought a pitchfork to a gunfight. And won. From 1891:
“A fight in which a pistol and a pitchfork were the weapons took place here this evening. The man wielding the pitchfork killed his adversary almost instantly. The parties to the fight were Alfred Call, corral boss, and Thos. King, walking boss for Peter Costello, the well known street grade contractor. The fight took place in Costello’s stable on Washington street and arose over a disagreement about shoeing horses. No one else was present at the time but another employee, hearing loud talk, rushed into the stable and found King lying on his face and Call standing over him with a pitchfork. A pistol was protruding from King’s hip pocket. King expired in a few minutes. Call says they engaged in a fight and King attempted to draw his pistol, whereupon he struck him on the temple with a pitchfork. Call at once surrendered to the sheriff. An inquest is being held. Both are young men and unmarried.” [Source]
