Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-01-16
WITH WOODEN LEGS.
Eighteen Thousand Veterans Who Have
Applied to Uncle Sam for Repairs.

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Eighteen Thousand Veterans Who Have
Applied to Uncle Sam for Repairs.
1--WE have the names of about $4,000
veterans who have applied for REPAIRS"
said Mr.. Ramsey, who has charge of
the Artificial Limb Department of the
SUPERINTENDENT Office, to q Star re-
porter. You know we fit them out
with new sets OF legs, arms, or other
apparatus every five years. 1t is now
getting toward the close of one of those
periods, and we have repaired $4,000
veterans"
"Aren't the one-lcgged men dying
of ?" asked the Star man.
Now that's an interesting question.
I guess they are. l presume many of
those whose names we have have since
died, but can't tell certainly. Now,
as I've said, every five Years we recon-
struct the manned veterans of thearmy,
but they have their choice to take the
repairs or the money. The allowance
for Il leg is scventy-iive dollars, for any
thing less than a leg is fifty dollars.
From one period to another many old
veterans drop out. Some Of them
make Il ortwo applications; and then
we never hear from them again.
Naturally. we conclude when they don't
send for their money or legs, they must
be dead and have no more Use for
them. But we don't limit ourselves to
men who have actually lost their limbs.
A man who has simply lost the use of
his limb is entitled TO a wooden leg
or arm, as the case may be, though he
can't wear them. SoNou see. we can't
keep a record Of all the one-lcgged
men, but | guess there aren't as many
as there used to be. Yet there are lots
OF them, and many who haven't any
legs at all. and some with neither legs
nor inns Then there are many who
have not lost their limbs, but who have
no power to nov There is one man
who gets two arms and two legs allow
ance, who can not move amy part of his
body except the little tinge. on the left
hand, which he can bend the least little
bit. There is another. a New England
soldier, whose arms and legs are dead.
and who is blind in both eyes. Not
long ago a man came in here With no
arms and sat down at one of the desks
and wrote with his teeth. 1t was not
particularly fine writing, but YOU could
read it. | know of another man-he
was in the s~harpshooters' servicc-who
can't be stood on his feet because he is
bent in the back, so that his head would
strike the floor first. Think how many
years these men have suffered, and how
many of them are still living! Why,
there's hardly enough left OF some of
; them to hold together.
But you asked if they We're diving
off. Now, here's Il roll we are lust
completing" and he laid several tally
sheets out on his desk. you can see
how they run This is the fourth per-
iod. and here's a man who has gotten
four legs, quite a number for one man,
il he used them all ut once. And
here's another who has gotten four
legs and four arms. No, we don
furnish heads, but we supply parts
OF heads, jaws and sections {
skull and eyes. Now. here's a man
who got II leg in the tirstyperiod, and
has never gotten any since. He is
probably dead. But here is another,
who came in for repairs Just after the
close OF the war and was never heard
vi hN(lH uIll1 IION, Nlltu ne comes
up again. He didn't wear out very
fast, Some Ilen wear well and don't
bother about getting repaired so often.
Here's another man" he added, point
ing to another name on the list
''hcrc's a man who comes up now for
the first time, having done without his
limb all these years. 1t run this way,
you see, all the way through. Those
men who have no applied for THEW
fourth leg. or whatever il is they want,
we conclude must be dead. Some. /
presume, will live to get five or six LEGS
or as many arms
"What are the legs made OFF," asked
the scribe.
"Willow wood generally. and there
are a variety of styles. They can take
their choice. Some take the straight
stick and stump it through life. Some
legs have rubber feet and rubber Joints
There is one made with Il very fine bal
and socket Joint at the foot. Ther~
are many men with wooden legs whom
You would never suspect. We furnish
limbs to some brave and distinguished
men. There are several officers of hioh
ranK who come here for arms and lers.
There is a young Lieutenant We recent
ly supplied with one arm who is, l be-
lievc. the only survivor of the Custer
massacre. y HuSIjUrtDU SJ1r