The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1855-09-12
From the California Pioneer, July 1895
One Of John Phocnlx's Stories.

from the California Pioneer, July 1895.
One Of John Phocnix's stories.
DR.. Tushmaker was never regularly bred
as a physician or surgeon, but he possessed
strong mechanical genius and fine appe-
tite; and finding his teeth of great service in
gratifying the latter propensity, no conclu-
ded that he could do more good in the world
and create more real happiness therein by
putting the teoth Of the inhabitants in order,
than in any other way so Tushmaker became
dentist. lie was tho man that first invent
ed the method of placing small coz wheels in
the back teeth for the more perfect mastica-
ton of food, and he claimed to be the orig
nal discovercr of the method Of filing cayi-
ties with kind of putty, which, becoming
hard directly, causes the tooth to ache so
gricvously that it has to be pulled, thereby
giving tho dentist two successive fees for the
same job. Tnshmaker was one day seated
in his Office, In the city of Boston, Massachu-
sets, when stout old fellow named Byles,
presented himself to have back tooth drawn
The dentist seated his patient in the chair of
torture, and opening his mouth, discovered
an enormous tooth, on the right hand side,
about as large, a, he afterward, expressed
it, ''as small Polyglot Bible" shall have
trouble with this tooth, thought Tushmaker,
but he clapped on the heaviest forceps, and
pulled. II didn't come. Then he tried the
turn screw, cxcrting his utmost strength, but
the tooth wouldn't stir! $50 away from
here,' said Tushmakcr to Bylcs, sand return
in week, and I'll draw that tooth for you or
know the reason why" Bylcs got up, clap
ped handkerchief to his jaw, and put forth.
Then the dentist went to work, and in three
days he invented an instrument which he was
confident would pull anything. II was com
binaton Of the lever, pulley, wheel and axle,
inclined plane, wedge and screw. Castings
were made and the machine put up in the Of
fee, over an iron chain, rendered stationary
by iron rods going down into the foundations
of the granite building. In week Bvles re-
turned; he was clamped in the iron chair, the
forceps connected with the machine attached
firmly to the tooth, and Tushmaker station
ing himself in the rear, took hold of a lever
four feet in length. He turned it slightly
Old Byles gave groan and lifted his right
leg. Another turn another groan, and up
went the leg again. "What do you raise
your leg for!" asked the doctor. 81 can't
help it," said the patient. "Well," rejoined
Tushmaker, ssthat tooth is bound to come
now" lie turned thclcyer clear round, with
a sudden jerk, and snapped old Byles' head
clean and clear from his shoulders, leaving
space Of four inches between the severed
parts! They had post norton examina-
tion--the roots of the tooth were found ex-
tending down the right side, through the right
leg, and turning up in two prongs under the
sole Of the right FOOT" ssNo WONDER" said
Tushmaker, she raised his right legr' The
jury thought SO too, but they found the roots
much dccayed and FIVE surgeons swearing that
modification would have cnsued in a few
months, Tushmaker was cleared on a verdict
Of '.justifable homicide" He was little
shy Of that instrument for some time after
ward but one day an old lady, feeble and
faccid, came in to have a tooth drawn, and
thinking it would come out very easy, Tush-
maker concluded, by way of variety, to try
the machine. He did so, and Ut the first turn
drew the old lady's skeleton completely and
entirely from her body, leaving her mass
of quivcring jelly in the chair Tushmaker
took her home in a pillow-case. She lived
seven years after that, and they called her
'.;hs India Rubber Woman.o She had suf-
fered terribly with the rheumatism, but after
this occurrence, never had pain in her bones.
The dentist kept them in a glass case. After
this, the machine was sold to the contractor
OF the Boston Custom House, and it was
found that child three years Of age could,
by single turn of the screw, raise stone
weighing twenty three tons. Smaller ones
were made, on the same principle, and sold
to the keepers of hotels and restaurants
They were used for boning turkeys. There
is no moral to this story whatever, and it is
possible that the circumstances NAV have be-
come slightly exaggerated. OF course there
can be no doubt of the truth Of the m1o in
cidents.