The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1879-03-07
4 TERRIBLE DE4TH.
AN ACCIDENT WHICH COMPELLED NAN TO
sTARyE TO DEATH.

AN ACCIDENT WHICH COMPELLED A NAN TO
sTARvE TO DEATH.
i Philadelphia dispatch Of the 26lh tells
the following strange story
According to the report Of local paper a
man died here on the 4th inst. under very
singular circumstances. His name was Levi
WagouselIer. de was thir1y-eight years Of
age and was employed in cotton factory st
Fairmouut One evening in December last
he entered a Chestnut street restaurant TO
get supper. When about half through the
meal he suddenly felt something sharp and
pointed going down his throat, causing him
intense pain, For a moment be thought ~
had swallowed a large ana jagged piece OF
bone, but putting his hand TO his mouth in
stinctively on feeling the pain, be found that
his false teeth were missing, and he knew
that it must have been they which had gone
down his throat. The teeth were three in
number. They were fastened TO a silver
plate, aud had been in his mouth for many
years. Recently the hooks holding them in
place had worn loose, and the artificial
teeth had annoyed him by falling from his
mouth several times. Plate and all had
gone down his throat, and he could feel
and suffering intensely, wagonseusr went
# to his home, which was in = suburb OF the
city CHestonvilIe) in Pazson street, between
Fifty first and Fifty-second. He could eat
} no solid food, and for two days took nothing
into his stomach. On the third day he man
aged 10 force down a little bread and milk
On this day the sufferer went to the Uuiver-
sity Hospital 10 see DR.. Agnew, who, after
Of saving his life.
WsgOuselier then came 70 Philadelphia to
stop at hissister's house 10 receive treatment
from her physician, DR.. Stewart, of $50
. Green street.
THE NAN GROWS WORSE.
/ Dr. Stewart was called or to visi: the pa
tient on the fifth day after the occurrence.
He advised him 20 take a swallow Of gin as
the readiesc means of dislodgiug the teeth,
which still remained in his throat The
patient followed his advice aud almost i'm
mediately felt the teeth going down. But
this only led TO q worse result. The teeth
moved down and lodged a5ort one inch and
a half above the entrance 10 the stomach.
Had they passed iu55 tbe stomach, according
TO medical authority, the chief danger in he
case would have been over. But lodging as
they did the patient could swallow nothing,
. not even milk or water. T was absolutely
impossible 70 get anything down bis throa..
Milk was recommended. but when il would
be poured down as soon as the glass would
BE removed from his IiDs g. would come
back, exuding from ears, eyes, mouth and
nostril The strauZHst OF all was what fol-
lowed. Tho uaa lived [a- seven weeks
without svall0viEg.a morsel Of food OF a
drop OF water. Even the Juice Of an orange
he could not swallow. From a stout, hearty
man, weighing probably $50 pounds, he
dviudled away 10 mere skeleton. His
hands became horrible to look nj by reason
Of their loss Of flesh. Strangely enough. too,
ali this time the man, who was perfectly
. conscious and rational. had no appetite, no
craving for food. Tie smell Of victuals, he
said, made him sick. From the time he
went 10 his sisters house, four days after
the accident he had no. stood on his feet,
lying alternately on n bed and in an iuvalid's
chair This posture he kept. at the recon-
rusn1auou OF his physician, until from lack
Of food lie became so weakened that there
was no option in the matter, and ne had TO
lie all the time. Operation with an iusrru-
ment was suggested by his physician, bat
this his sister would not couseu- 10, unless
assurance could be given that it would re-
salt in saving his life. This, OF course, the
physician could not premise, and no such
operation was tried
sEvEy WEEKS WITHOUT FOOD.
After being for over seven weeks without
food, Wagouseller died, death resulting
from inaniti0r, or, in other words, stsrva-
uon. To tie very last he had no appetite
for food. The day before his death he began
to get short OF breath. and told his relatives
that lie felt himself dying. Up to the last
hour he retained his selses and talked freely
about his case. instructiug his relatives TO
have q posi- 5agrtsm examination made upon
his body. In accordance with his request
the examination was made 10y Drs. Stewart
{ and Aguaw. The plate, witL the teeth in Il,
was found about one inch and q half above
,. the entrance Of the stomach, the hooks frrn-
b J. imbedded in the flesh. There were marks
At certain intervals in the throat showing
the progress of the plate as i passed down
ward, the prints of the teeth being in sever
al places plainly visible. Had the plate.
which was about two inches long aud an
inch wide, passed into the stomach, in the
d opinion CT the physicians IL would have dis
y solved aud the mans Iife been saved. AS
4 it was, the plato passed down the thr9at in a
transverse form, and once lodged at the
s fGrthest point, displacement was iInpossi-
e BE.