Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-05-10
A PULLING CASE.
A Boy Coughs Up a Half-Dollar Month:
After He Partly Swallowed 1t.

IN. Y. SUM-
1.-THE death of Brewer Peter Dodgers
son Joseph from strangulation by a bone
collar-bu which he carried in his mouth
while romping with school-mates, ~ said a
well-known physician, "Recalls singular
case that came within my experience sew
eral years ago. 1t happened in Peacedale,
a pretty Rhode Island village just across
the bay from Narragansett Pier. Willie
Booth, nine years old, was sent by his
mother to neighboring grocery. She gave
him silver half-dollar for some small pur-
chases, and to prevent the little fellows
losing it, Mrs. Booth tied the money in q
corner of his handkerchief. Willie ran
down the road swinging the handkerchief
in his right hand and shouting few rods
from the house he stumbled and almost
fell. He had been shouting at his loudest
moment before. AS he lunged forward
he threw out his right hand to save himself.
AT the same instant the half-dollar, which
Mrs. Booth had evidently tied very loosely,
Tipped out Of the handkerchief and into
WilIe's mouth. He regained his equilibri-
UNI, but came near choking to death.
she coughed until he grew dizzy and
staggered like drunken person, but he
could not eject the silver piece. Somehow
he made his way home and tottered into
the house. Mrs. Booth peered 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 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 a big
lump just below his collar bone. The doc
tor made careful examination of the boys
throat He failed to find the coin, and con-
cluded it had passed into his stomach.
Willie very stoutly declared that he could
still feel it in his throat. This, however,
the doctor attributed to the little fellows
Imagination. He therefore administered a
strong physic and departed. He called
every day for week, but nothing was
seen of the coin, which Willie repeatedly
protested was not in his stomach, but in
his throat, where he could feel it.
"A few days afterward the doctor
CHANGED to be at Narragansett Pier, where
l was stopping. We met, and after describ-
ing the case he asked me to visit Peacedale
and assist in a second examination of the
.probed carefully and thoroughly for the
halfdollar. We could not find trace of
it. At the point just above the sesophagus,
where 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 i'll
the boys stomach. After discussing the
case, however. we called in widely
known Providence surgeon, who also min
utely examined the boys throat. He in
dorsed our opinion that Willie had swal-
lowed the silver piece. Stronger physics
were now administered, and the next day
we tried violent emetic. Both expedients
failed. Ii was manifest that the coin could be
removed only by an extremely difficult and
dangerous surgical operation. No argu-
ment could induce the family to consent to
this.
THAT the boy would die of slow corrosive
poisoning seemed inevitable. In fact, he
began TO waste perceptibly within fort
night. ! remained at the Pier six weeks,
aud was so interested IN the case that /
drove over to see little Willie every few
days. AT the end of q month he was thin,
weak and colorless. When / started back
to New York he was simply shadow. Ny
friend the Peacedal octor, wrote me sew
eral times about the case. Each letter
said little Willie was thinner and weaker.
1t was now the middle Of November. fully
twelve weeks since the boy swallowed the
hah-doliar, and l was surprised that he
had lived so long.
''rhe following week / was still more
surprised by a letter saying that the coin
had been recovered. The way Il originally
few into the boys mouth had been re-
markahe enough, but the manner of its re-
appearance was almost incredible The
boy had actually coughod up the half dol-
lar. Owing 70 his sickly condition the fam
lily bad shown him every indulgence
Among other things, as the days grew
colder, he was allowed to wash every
morn ing in BASIN placed On a chair near
the kitchen stove. While washing thus
one morning violent 1t Of coughing
seized him, and during it the half dollar
few from his mouth into the basin The
silver piece was as black as the stove-hd
Impossible as it may seem. the large coin
had been lodged for three months IN the
little fellows threat, and 50 peculiarly
placed that the most sllllfuI search coalG
not reveal It's presence. u Is not strange.
therefore, that young Doelger's death was
q; first attributed 70 heart disease, a1d an
autopsy was required 10 disclose the fact
thai he had been ssran gled By collar but /
tor Poor nttle Willie, however. was more
fully recovered in few months, and when /
last saw him, two years ago, was a s;rocg
and healthy lad