The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-02-04
A STRANGE STORY.
. MAN SUPPOSED TO BE FATALLY
FROZEN.

Faint Flick ering of the Vital Spark
accidentally Detected While the
penoains Were Being Laid Out on the
Moreue Slab-A Long, Doubtful
right Before Life Was Finally
Restored
From the Cincinnati Enquirer.
NEw YORK, Jan. 2S.-The great loss of
life which attended the march of the recent
blizzard through the West recalls the case of
Thomas Bell, of this city. Bell, a few years
oco was admitted to the bar in this city.
He was highly educated, had taken any
number of medals for his intellectual attain
rnents as well as physical proves during
his college career. There was nothing be-
fore him but brightness and joy, and the
prospect of gradually rising in his profess
sion until he reached the top. But his life
and hopes were suddenly blasted by a
horrible accident. Bell was engaged to
he married to Philadelphia girl who was
+ba flower of an illustrious family that
lived in the Quaker City since
William Penn made his famous treaty with
the Indians. Long before the marriage was
N he consummated all Philadelphia was be-
ana ET6Ab W6I6 Iiduo W
have the celebration a fitting one for the
nosition and social standing of the bride
The wedding day came and went, and i'll the
house where there was to be joy there was
only the deepest sorrow. The young lady
and her mother and sisters were drowned a
month before in the ocean, off Sandy Hook,
bv the capsizing of yacht during a gale.
Only the father aud the poor heart-broken
Bell remained. The old Quaker training
soon brought the father out of the sea of
gloom, but Bell had not the strength of
mind to stand his loss in manly and heroic
fashion and like thousands of others be-
fore him in times of trouble,
LOOKED TO THE STIMULATING CUP
for relief 1t may be that he effectually
drowned his sorrow in this way, but he also
lost his business mind, his reputation, spent
all his money lost the respect and assistance
of his friends who tried in every way to
check his downward progress, and finally
committed slight forgery and got into the
Tombs. His old friends came to his relief
and upon the promise of reformation, Bell
was discharged from custody and given a
chance to start again in the world. 1t was
only little while before he was back in the
old paths. He went farther down the scale
than ever before, and became a mental and
physical wreck. Several weeks ago, on a
bitter cold night, he applied to the Sergeant
in the Eighteenth precinct station house for
lodging The lodge room was filled with
tramps and buns of the lowest order. Bell
remained there only few moments, and
came staggering up to the rail in front of
the Sergeant. With show of dignity and
an air of self-respect that had been buried
long before he told the Sergeant that he
could not stand the place and said that he
preferred fresh air and decency, and if he
froze to death in the clear starlight he
would seek these things somewhere else. He
went away Next morning he was found
at daylight, lying under the canopy of stars
near the East river frozen to death, it is
said, when they took him to the morgue
Old Joe Foggarty, the mOrgue keeper, who
has tender regard for the dead, although
he has handled thousands of bodies, was at
tracted by the pale face wien he was taking
off the dead mans clothes and involuntarily
put his ear to the dead mans chest. There
was
LITTLE HEART FLUTTER
there and Dr. Bennett was called from
lecturing in Bellevue Hospital to take look
at the case
In DR.. Bennets Judgment Bell was in
that deep coma that precedes death short
time, when the body has been subjected 10
an intense cold for a long time, and there
was little or no use trying to prevent the
patients death. But with the true sur
geon's instinct DR.. Bennett determined that
nothing should be left undone' to bring him
back to life if possible. Many people have
seen the waxen condition of the ear when it
was frozen. The whole of Bells body APP
peared as if it had been carved out of white
wax In moving the body the ear that had
been exposed the longest, and was perfectly
stiff, was broken off by an attendant The
body felt to the touch like piece of ice.
There was only one favorable sign, and
that was that the legs remained flexible and
indicated that there was a degree of vitality
IN the extremities, but whether it was suf-
hciently strong to sustain the Pickering end
of life in the body could not be told The
body was stripped of all clothing and given
q hard rubbing with alcohol. A bath tub
having been procured, it was filled with
snow and Bell laid into it. The body was
not allowed to remain quiet a second. 1t
was Jerked, twisted, turned over rubbed
and pounded until every muscle in the body
go thorough shaking up. 1t was very
severe treatment, but the nature of the case
deman1ed it. This was kept up for about
htteen minutes The body was laid in a
cold room, and four attendants
RUBBED 1T WITH SNOW
for all they were worth. When they got
played out others took their places. While
tbs was going on a metal collar had beer
put around the patients neck and hands
around the ankles, and these were connected
with galvanic battery, and the strong cur
rent OF electricity was run through the
oody. By this meaps the internal layers
'Tere kept in motion and agitated. For 6
4ong time there was no effect noticeable
and 1t seemed as if the violence would xii
lhe patient if the cold did not. Then there
came change. The waxen flesh lost it,
ghastly hue and polish, and faint dust
spread over the body. This showed that the
blood was berg forced from inside TO the
outside, and if this could be maintained the
patent would be restored to consciousness:
at least.
Inc rubbing and galvanic treatment was
continued, with the exception that cold
water was substituted for the snow, and
!he temperature of the water was slowly
increased as the glow of the body became
brighter and it felt warmer to the touch
after five hours hard and persistent labor
ehe patient moved his head of his own &C
Gord. Stimulnnts were freely given hypo
TECHNICALLY, and the warmth in the abdomen
vas retained by tepid injections. The heart
Siso"ly picked up strength, and at the end
a Ten hours respiration was about normal
as the favorable symptoms appeared the
Treatment was made more gentle, ano
hhnaily was given up. The bodily function:
having been restored and the patient
REG ATNEn urc cOrccYorcNrco