American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1851, 1851-05-30

EXTRAORDINARY JUVENILE FREAK-The fol-
lowing, which we take from the st. Louis Re-
peilte of the 18th inst, exceeds any thing we
ever heard of in the way of childish freaks of
limitations
An occurrence of very frightful character
took place on Thursday, in a German family re-
siding, as we understand, on Hamtrank street,
no less in fact than boy cutting off the nose
of his sister, little girl five years old. The
boy few nights before had attended the enter
tainment of Mr.. Macallister, the magician now
playing at the st. Louis theatre, at which time
he witnessed the act of cutting off the nose of
one of the audience. The performance made
an astonishing impression upon his young mind,
(he was about seven years DID, and since that
he had made the request of many persons to
allow him to try the same trick on them. This
was looked upon as mere childish fancy, and
he was rather encouraged in the idea than
otherwise, nobody ever conceiving it possible
that it would be so fearfully carried out.
On Thursday afternoon, in the absence Of the
mother, the father being still at his employ
ment, the boy induced his sister to let him play
+" Macallister," and to submit her nose to the
knife. She was at first alarmed at the sight of
the knife, but on his urgent entreaty, and as
surance not to hurt her, but to put it on di-
rectly, "just like the magician" she consented.
Initiating his original, he placed cloth round
her neck, and with large carving knife cut off
the nose close to her face. The poor child Of
course gave vent to her excruciating agony in
loud screams, which soon brought the neigh
bors to the house The scene must have been
curious and dreadful. The girl was rolling and
writhing on the floor with pain while her little
hands strove in vain to stop the fnghtful flow
of blood from the horrible disfguration. The
boy stood aghast for moment, with the bloody
knife still in his hand, while the nose lay on
the floor at his feet, as it had dropped from his
hand on being cut off, a few seconds before.
Although the extent Of the injury was obvi-
Gus, the people were paralyzed for the moment
at such a hidcous spectacle; and not until the
boy burst into tears-then for the first time un-
derstanding fully the results of his folly--did
they seek for assistance. In the absence Of
medical assistance, the nose was placed on
with the ignorant hope of it's stopping the
dreadful effusion of blood but the dirt which
had gathered on it on the floor prevented this,
if, indeed their unskilful hands could ever have
effected it.
On the arrival of q medical man. fortunately,
in short time, the nose was washed and placed
in its proper position, and with great difficulty
the effusion of blood was in great measure
stopped, though not until the child had tainted
away several times from consequent weakness.
The boy was taken away and interrogated, and
gave the statement substantially as we have re-
lated it here.
1t was supposed ut first that the unfortunate
child could not live, from the fact that it was
| feared that adhesion would not take place by
the first intention, but we have learned since,
| from our original informant, that there are
strong hopes of her recovering, with the disfg-
uration only of fearful irremovable scar.