Hopkinsville Kentuckian story posted 27 Mar 1917 reads as follows:

BULLET MADE EIGHT HOLES
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In the Intestines of Earl Aldridge, at Montgomery
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Earl Aldridge, a youth about 18 years of age, was shot and perhaps fatally wounded at Montgomery, Trigg County, Saturday night. Aldridge is the son of R.R. Aldridge and had loaded up a pistol and handed it to a colored boy named Durward Radford, who lives with Monte Redd near by. In handing the weapon to Radford, he presented the butt end and as the boy took hold of it, the pistol was in some way accidentally discharged. The bullet plowed its way through the young man's bowels. Dr. Woodard, from this city, went to the scene and preformed an operation, sewing up eight perforations in the intestines. The young man was alive yesterday, but the outcome is in doubt. There is no suspicion that the shooting was other than an accident.
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Hopkinsville Kentuckian 29 Mar 1917

Earl Aldridge who shot himself at Montgomery Saturday night, died Tuesday evening.
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Hopkinsville Kentuckian 31 Mar 1917 reads as follows:
TWO BOTHERS KILLED
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The death of Earl Aldridge at Montgomery, from the accidental discharge of a pistol he was handing to a negro boy, resulted three days after the accident. He was the son of R.R. Aldridge of Caledonia. A few months ago his younger brother was killed by the discharge of a gun while he was hunting alone.
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A Earl Aldridge in the Kentucky, Death Records, 1852-1965

Name: A Earl Aldridge
Gender: Male
Race: White
Death Age: 18
Birth Date: 11 Feb 1899
Birth Place: Trigg, Kentucky, USA
Death Date: 26 Mar 1917
Death Place: Trigg, Kentucky, USA
Father: R R Aldridge
Mother: Cora Turner
COD: Pistol shot wound of abdomen (accidently)

He was a merchant and married at the time of his death.