Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1886-12-01
SILVER IN HIS THROAT.

"A BOY Coughs Up Half Dollar Three
nsonths AFTER he Partly Swallowed III
From the New Nork Sum-
s'The death on last Wednesday of
Brewer Peter Dodgers 12-year-old
son Joseph from strangulatlon by
bone collar button which he carried in
mates" said well known physician,
'recalls q singular case that came
within nv experience several years
ago. It happened in Peacedaie, g.
pretty Rhode Island villagejust across
Willie Booth, 8 years old, was sent by
his mother to q neighboring grocery.
She gave him s. silver half dollar for
some small purchases, and to prevent
the little fellows losing it, Mrs. Booth
tied the money In s. corner ofhis hand
kerchief. Willie ran down the road
swinging the handkerchief in his right
hand and shouting. A few rods from
the house he stumbled and almost fell.
He had been shouting at his loudest
the moment before. AS he lunged for
ward he threw out his right hand to
save himself. At the same instant the
half dollar, which Mrs. Booth had evil
IDENTIFY tied very loosely. hipped out of
the handkerchief and into Willie's
mouth He regained his equilibrium,
but came near choking to death.
s'He cougned until he grew dizzy and
staggered like drunken person, but
he could not eject the silver piece.
Somehow he made his way back home
and totte1ed into the house. Mrs.
Booth peeped into his throat but could
not see the half dollar. She pounded
on the little fellows back In the way
customary with choking persons.
Willie breathed more freely, but the
half dollar did not come. Then Mrs.
Booth ran for the village doctor.
When they reached the house g. few
minutes later Willie felt much better.
The strangling sensation was gone and
he breathed as usual, with the excep-
ton that there seemed, he said, to be q
big lump Just above his collar bone.
The doctor made q careful examina-
ton of the boys throat. He failed to
find the coin, and concluded it had
passed into the stomach. Willie very
stoutly declared that he could still
feel it in his throat. This, however,
the doctor attributed to the little fell
lows imagination. He therefore adj
ministered strong physic and depart
ed. He called every day for a week
but nothing was seen OF the coin,
which Willie repeatedly protested was
not In his stomach, but Ii his throat,
where he could feel it.
GA few days afterward the docSor
CHANGED to be at Narragansett Pier,
where was stopping. We met, and
after describing the case, he asked me
to visit Peacedale and assist in q Sec
ond examination of the boys throat.
| did so, and together we probed care
fully and thoroughly for the half dol
lar We could not find trace of it.
At the point just above the esophagus,
where little Willie continued TO insist
that he could plainly feel the coin,
there was not the slightest lump Or
swelling. I agreed with my friend that
the half dollar was in the boys stom-
ach. After discussing the case, how
ever, We called IN q widely known
Providence surgeon, who also minute
" examined the boys throat. He en-
dorsed our opinion that Willie had
swallowed the silver piece. Stronger
physics were DOW administered, and the
next day we tried a violent emetic.
Both experimentsfailed. TWAS mani
fest that the coin could be removed
only by an extremely difficult and
dangerous surgical operation. No
argument could induce the family to
consent to this.
'HThat eboy would die Of slow, cor
rosive poisoning seemed inevitable. In
fact, he began to waste perceptibly
within a fortnight. / remained at the
Pier six weeks, and was so interested in
the case that drove over to see little
Willie every few days. At the end of
a month he was thin, weak and color
less. When / started back to New
York he was simply q shadow. My
friend, the Peacedale doctor, wrote me
several times about the case. Each
letter said that little Willie was thinner
and weaker. 1t was now the middle OF
November, fully twelve weeks since the
boy swallowed the half dollar, and ]
was surprised that he had lived so
long.
"The following week l was still more
surprised by a. letter saying that the
coin had been recovered. The way it
originally few into the boys mouth
had been remarkable enough, but the
manner of it's temperance was al
most incredible. The boy had actual
ly coughed up the half dollar. Owing
to his sickly condition the family had
shown him every indulgence. Among
other things, as the DAYS grew colder,