Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1875-10-15
Scletted a21istellanp,
IN A TIGHT PLACE.

The following incident recently oc-
Cured in the office of leading Williams
burgh physician, who, for reasons which
will be easily understood as the story
proceeds. requests that his name be with
held. The facts were related to a re-
porter by the doctor himself in almost the
following words:
"You remember that not long ago my
services were required by a gang of
thieves, leading spirit of whom was
Patsy Burns. When called to attend
him, ! saw there was no hope, and he
soon after died. My bill was something
like $500, for had attended him
through long illness. Some weeks
passed and one day in came bis sister and
gave me $50. A few days after that
his wife came and paid the balance. -
Burns had a cousin, powerful fellow
with flaming red hair, with whom be-
came acquainted while attending Patsy.
On entering my Office one day, was sur
priaed to find this fellow sitting in chair
with his head tossed back as if in pain
:" Well p said |, inguiringly.
90, doctor!" was the reply, in very
low voice. "I'ye swallowed bone, and
it has been there all night"
d" Nonsense" I replied, "you are
breathing all right which would not be
the ease if you had bone in your
throat"
But tell you, doctor, that I have.
You sec got drunk last night and ate
some fish chowder, and when | woke up
this morning there was that bone in my
throat"
To satisfy him opened my case of in
struments and took out a probang, which
is long, slender instrument with ball
at one end and bundle of threads at the
other, the object Of the threads being to
catch pins, needles. bones or anything of
the sort which may become lodged in the
throat accordingly inserted the pro-
bang, tbrcad-end first, into bis throat,
and withdrew it only to find, as ] had
suspected, that lie was mistaken. Then,
to further rcassure him, | reversed the
instrument, with precisely similar re-
suits.
"See here" said |, ''you may possibly
have swallowed bone, but it has passed
into your stomach Your throat is
probably irritated, and that is what you
feel"
| then returned to the opposite side of
my table and, sitting down, partially
turned my back to him and began writing
a prescription to allay the irritation
which he experienced. While doing so
] suddenly heard a gurgling sound, and
turning around, beheld sight that
caused me to leap from my chair as
though electrified Ny patient had
thrown himself back in bis chair, and
when | looked up had the probang in
serted its full length into his throat.
My movement started him. / heard a
click, and at the same moment he drew
out the broken end of the instrument.
My position dawBed upon me in an in
slant. Suppose the man should die I?
An investigation would follow, and, as
was alone, no explanations Of mine would
be sufficient to convince a cOroner's jury
but that | had been culpably negligent
in the treatment of the fellow. With a
bound | reached his side, and with a
"Sit still, you fool. or you are dead
man J" seized his throat with my left
hand and thrust my two forefngers into
his mouth. bresthed sigh Of relief
as my fingers just grasped The broken end
Of the instrument, and gently extricated
it.
81 came very near being dead man,
didn't |, doctor 2" CALCULATED my patient,
his face ashy pale, and bis limbs shaking
with fright