The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1888-03-29
WEARS AN ARTIFICIAL NECK.

A man with his head in a cage
and his neck bent to the right at
tracted considerable attention at the
Murray Hill Hotel. As he walked
he limped painfully. In his shirt
bosom he wore large cluster dia-
mond pin. He was Barney Bald
win who thinks he has been more
broken up than any living man.
His injuries include broken neck,
two broken legs, a broken arm, five
broken ribs, and broken collar
bone. He tells his story:
Il was born and brought up in
New York." he said yesterday. 81
am Sc years old, but my mother and
sister, who live thirteen blocks
away from here, don't know what
fix I'm in. They think I'm in Aus
tralia. l was yardmaster on the
Louisville and Nashville Railroad,
and it was March 10 last, in the
yard at Birmingham, Ala, that the
throttle of an engine got out of
order and the engine ran wild. l
was on caboose with six cars at
tached. When the engine struck
the section / was shaken off. In
the fall l dislocated my shoulder,
broke my right arm at the elbow
and my leg at the ankle. l threw
my right leg over the footboard of
the engine and broke the leg in two
places. The ashpan of the engine
passing over me broke five ribs and
cracked six vertebra of my neck.
l was unconscious for thirty-six
hours and was totally blind for four
teen days. l lay on a water mat
tress 127 days, and L was five
months and seventeen days in bed.
Since that time l have never lain
down, because the vertebrH of my
neck are not knitted together yet,
and if should try the vertebre
would slip, press on the spinal cord,
and produce unconsciousness. For
four months after the injury | felt
stupid and every now and then
passed off into trance that lasted
% hours. l have got so now that
can sleep three hours night in 9
posture, but / can't lie down. My
broken legs and ribs and arms have
mended. 1t is the neck and spine
that give me the only trouble"
The physicians who pulled him
through were Drs. James b. Luckie
and Copeland c. Barclay of Birm-
ingham. After giving long list
of eminent physicians who had ex-
amined him and pronounced him q
curiosity too dangerous to handle,
he said that he asked them all if he
would ever be able to remove the
mask and get nights sleep. They
could give him no enlightment.
Then Baldwin showed his wounds
first the scars on his legs, ther
the right arm with the silver joint
and finally the stout waist of leather
and silk which holds in place the
steel rod that runs from his hips
along the spinal column, forming 6
curve above the head, to the upper
end of which is attached crossbaI
from which depend leather straps to
hold his head up. It's an artificial
backbone. One strap goes undel
the chin and forms a cup in which
the chin rests. His purpose in com
ing to the city is to see if DR.. Sayr,
can straighten bis broken neck TO
him. 1t now inclines considerabl,
to the right. DR.. Sayre may tax,
him to Bellevue Hospital tomorrow
Baldwin said that number O
physicians were already anxious +
buy his body. DR.. Clayborne o
Auckland and DR.. Sankfield of Sal
Francisco, he said, had offered hin
$4,000, but he had no fear of dy
ing yet N. Y. Sun, Feb. 27.
s-.s.-a------>----.