Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-07-03
VICTIMS OF THE WAR.
Forty-fVe Soldiers Whe Lost Both
Arms and Thirty-tyyO Heroes With
out Legs.

said S. II. Decker, the armless door
keeper at the house end of the capitol,
Washington; ''there are only twenty
two out Of about forty-fve who came
out of the war with both legs and arms
shot off. Five years ago the number
had dropped down to thirty-three. In
these four years eleven of our number
have died"
Decker has neither hand, both arms
having been tern off just below the ell
bow by the premature discharge of a
gun at the battle of Perryville. Ky.
He is one of the most active of the
officials, carrying in cards, taking care
of court room to which ne has been
assigned, standing guard at the doors
of the house during sessions, opening
and closing them for visitors, and
making himself more useful than
many men with two hands.
This iron hand is more useful to
me than any artificial concern that [
have yet found" He held out a curl
Gus iron instrument, looking very
much like a pair of nippers, with
hook at the side. The hand in ques-
ton is couple of long pieces of iron
joined together like blacksmiths'
tongs, with hook fastened on the
side. The long handles run up to-
wards the elbow on either side of the
SIX inches of arm remaining below
that joint. The whole is fastened 10
band which goes up the arm near the
shoulder. With this curious hand
Decker receives cards, opens books,
writes q good, plain hand with a pen,
and, IN fact, makes himself quite as
useful as the average individual
with two hands.
This is hand Of your own inven-
ton, is it, Mr.. Decker?"
'Yes," he answered, 81 had never
seen anything like it. After [ had
lost both of my hands-for lost both
at the same time-I set to work to
devise something that would help me
to use my arms and take the place of
a hand. [ found that all instrument
of this kind, would open and close by
the motion of the arms, was the sim
plest and yet the best, so [ adopted it,
and have been we'll satisfied with it.
l had one for each arm, but [ found
that [ made little use of that on the
left arm"
''And are they used by any besides
yourself?"
eyes, a gentleman in this city, who
lost both arms in the war also uses
one. l remem GER an interesting expert
ence I had with this hand at the Sur
geon Generals Office. I had called
to see about Communication for an arm.
and explained to the Surgeon General
how used this hand in writing and
eating, and at various kinds of work.
He asked me to bring my spoon and
fork, and after he had examined them
gave me a letter to copy. I took
pencil and copied it, making a much
better looking letter of it than the one
from which [ wrote. About the time
l had it finished messenger to whom
he had spoken when [ had entered
came in with a huge dish of oysters,
and at the same time there fled in
about half a dozen officers of the Sur
geon-general'S office. Now said the
surgeon-general, you SAID you could
eat with that hand, and [ want to see
you try itr told him that I had not
come there to get my lunch, but that
if he had any doubt Of my ability in
that line [ would soon convince him,
and taking up my fork [ made use of
it both to the satisfaction of the sur
geon-g general and my own stomach.
The old fellow fell back in his chair
and falrl y shook his sides with laugh
ter until / had finished. We'll, he
said, that is the best hand [ ever saw
for practical use; here is your comu-
tatiOn; you are certainly entitled to
it, and he gave me an order for $100
comHtation money, TO which I was
instead of the artificial
arm"
There are no others in government
employ here who have suffered this
double loss, are there?"
EYES," he said, pointing to man
a few feet away; Fernando Page,
there, lost both legs, and walks with
cork ones now," and he beckoned to
him as he spoke ''Page got Lis ap-
pointment here through democratic
member, Mr.. Houseman, of Michi-
gan"
Eyes, we are a pair of them," said
hf. 1 aye, SuIuIuS, Ill dESWor 10 d re-
mark of Decker's. Il lost both legs
at Yorktown in 1862, and Decker lost
both of his arms the same year at Per
ryville. I belonged to the Third Mich
igan Infantry, and Decker to the
Fourth Artillery"
But Page had tougher time of it
than [ did," said Decker with a grim
smile; he had to have both legs am
putated three times, while I had but
the one operation performed"
mot q very pleasant experience in
either case, was it?"
mot so painful one as might be
was Decker's answer. my
arms were shot off about z in the
and it was noon before the
was made. I did net take
anything to sustain me. and felt n ,
pain until the knife severed the
nerves. / never lost an hours sleep
from the loss of my arms. During
the time that [ spent in recovering [
slept well and suffered very little pain
from it. / suffer some pain from them
now occasionally eSnecially when the