The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1880-06-10
A DOCTORS DANGERS.
Narrow Escapes of New York
Physician-He Wrestles with
Drunkards and Lunatics.

NJhG Odl Was nuIElSNli1 SSub W
Crosby street to bring a man to the
hospital. l entered one of those
dirty, crowded tenement houses, and
mounting the rickety stairs to the
very garnet of the house, 1 found
the patient in the corner of a little
room. He was an Italian, appa
rently about forty years of age; his
long unkempt hair hung in matted
masses about his sallow, sunken
features, and his coal black eyes
blazed like balls of fire in the semi
darkness of the room. When l
looked at this object 1 must admit
that 1 faltered, although l believe
that l possess as much physical
courage as most men. | approached
nearer, however, and said: "Are you
ready to gor The man gave no
evidence of having heard me- Think
ing that perhaps he did not under
stand me, l touched him on the
shoulder. In an instant the man
sprang to his feet like a fury, and
before could make an effort to
prevent it, he drew a long, ugly
looking knife and made ferocious
lunge at me. Instinctively 1 lodged,
and as l did so 1 felt the cold steel
mark my side.
At first 1 thought that l was
stabbed, and at once closed with
my assailant. He had not had time
to withdraw the knife from my
clothing, and the contest now re
solved itself into a question of
strength. Although the man had
been weakened by long sickness, he
fought like a tiger. Finally saw
an opening and planted a heavy
blow behind his ear. He sank to
the floor, and 1 picked up the knife
from where it had fallen on the
floor, and with this instrument kept
the man in subsection until l landed
him in the hospital. The blow he
had given me with the knife did not
even break the skin on my side, al
though it left faint mark about
two inches long.
Another time / was conducting a
big fish woman in the ambulance.
She had been suffering from the
delirium tremens, but appeared 10
be resting quietly at this time. AS
the conveyance rolled along 1 sat
with my back to the patient, deeply
thinking about some matter or
other. Suddenly 1 felt the most
terrific grip about my neck, and at
the same time was almost deafened
by an awful shrek. The woman
had gotten up, and, quietly ap
preaching me, had caught me by
the neck and was now trying to
throw me out of the wagon.
threw out my right hand, and catch
ing the side of the wagon tried to
resist her, but her weight and
strength were too much for me,
and, with my breath almost choked
out of me, l felt that 1 was gradu-
ally being forced head first out OF
the wagon to the pavement below.
All the blood in my body seemed to
have rushed to my head, and my
eyes felt as if they were popping
out of their sockets. just as L was
asking the Lord to overlook my
shortcomings the woman let go her
hold and turned her attention in
another direction. The driver, hear
ing her scream and the struggle,
had stopped his horse and come to
my assistance. The moment he
touched the woman she left me and
attacked him, but as he was a big,
burly fellow, and she was already
somewhat exhausted with her eff
forts to do away with me, he was a
quick victor.
The nearest that l ever came to
shuffiing off this mortal coil, was
also due to a drunkard-a man this
time. The cause of my exquisite
discomfort on this occasion was a
broad -shouldered, handsome fellow,
who had made a great deal of mon
ey in the west, and had come to
New York to enjoy his fortune.
The attractions of the metropolis
were too much for him, however,
and a few years of unlimited dissi>
patton had left him a perfect wreck
financially, mentally and physically.
He had been boarding in a low den,
and it was to this place that l went
when notified that he should be
brought to the hospital. 1t was on
an August night, and very warm. L
knocked at the little door of the
in nh nh / fnI hnf
would find the patient, and imme-
diately a voice said, with much pro-
family, "Come imp l opened the
door, and was surprised to see a
man sitting half dressed, and with
his legs crossed tailor fashion on a
small table. The moment he saw
me he exclaimed: "Ahal Benvolio,
is it thou2 Methinks 'twere late
for this meeting. Already thou hast
kept me waiting these eight-and-
forty hours. You've insulted me,
you thief, take that" and
he raised a big heavy revolver and
fired. staggered, for the ball had
cut through my hair, and left a
long blush red mark that will 60
down to the grave with me. "Have
missed my markF' yelled the
mailman, and he fred again. L do
not know where this ball went, but
being a target was not to my taste,
and yet l did not want to run out,
tor was afraid to trust to my pa
TENTS Workmanship. Icannot say
what prompted the action, but l fell
or the floor as soon as the second
shot was fired. This seemed to de
light my blood thirsty companion,
for he Immediately cried out: "Te-
cumseh is dead, and have achieved
the independence of my people"
He then dismounted from the table,
and approaching me with the pistol
still in his hand. began TO pull my
nose. "Poor TecumsehP' he NUT
tered, and then starting up, horri-
fed me with, shut have not taken
his scalp yetP' and throwing the
pistol on the floor, he uttered a war
whoop and ran to the corner of the
room, whence he quickly returned,
brandishing a huge knife. had,
in the meantime, possessed myself
of the pistol and was now sitting uE
on the floor, covering him With the