Paint Stir Stick Leads To Man’s Death

A businessman who was found dead in his back yard bled to death after accidentally stabbing himself while whittling a stick to stir paint, a deputy state medical examiner ruled Friday.

William Vaughey Jr., 58, apparently died between 9 and 10 p.m. Wednesday. His body was found about 6 a.m. Thursday by his wife, Linda. She is a member of the school board and was attending a meeting when her husband died.

Vaughey owned and operated an oil and gas exploration business and was chairman of the Hill County Republican Central Committee and a co-founder of the Havre Pachyderm Club, a Republican organization.