Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-08-01
HANGING SAVED HIM.
The Case OF o Man Who Was Suspended
by the Neck Day After Day.

From the San Francisco Examiner.
No other Californian has lately run such
awful risks and yet escaped with his life -
John wog, who arrived here yesterday from
Sacramento and is now ut the Americas ex-
change. For two years his life has been frsught
with more disastrous chances'' than ever
Othello experienced He has been snatched
from beneath the wheels Of flying locomotive,
hanged until all but dead stricken with paraly-
sis until his body could be pierced anywhere
by needles and knife blades and he not feel IL,
yet be is perfectly well to-day. His base IL one
of the most remarkable In medical annals, and
has as yet but been barely alluded to in the
daily papers.
II feel like boy with his nrst pair Of trou-
sers, l am 30 glad to get out again free
man, said be to q reporter. His wife joined
He is a Swiss carpenter Of thirty years.
'.On April %, 1887" added he, ~ fell from
building at San Gorgonio distance Of 20
feet, and injured my spine till was in the
form OF half hoop and couldn't bend either
way. couldn't work at my trade any longer,
and had to do something to support my fam
iy, 80 got job on the railroad az watchmau
at the big San Fernando tunnel. On the night
OF September IL, two hours before the Santa
Cruz train was to come through for San Fran
cisco, l stumbled, strained my spine over
again and fell in heap across the railroad
track.
II was perfectly powerless to do anything
MY body from my waist down was Dead and
felt as though packed in solid ice and frozen
around. l had no power to move my hands,
but they shook as though writhing in the grasp
OF gaivanic battery. Great beads of sweat
came out on my face as big as the ends of my
fingers, yet could not move my head, either
l was just conscious enough to know that train
II would soon be along, yet to save me from
eternal perdition could not move q muscle.
nor hear, nor articulate q word. How long l
lay thus I could not say, but it was terrible
what suffered both from my body and mind.
Finally great light shone through the tunnel
and approached me- Iexpected to die.
Just when thought the wheels were upon
me was jerked from the track. John Hamil-
ton, another watchmsn, had seen me ana
rescued me. He got help and moved me half
mile away to my house. was placed on my
face. and thus lay for seven weeks, feeling hav-
ing only returned in a dull sort of way to the
upper part of my body and arms. could talk
little, too. My wife got all the doctors she
could hear Of, but they thought was doomed.
The paralysis was too deep seated Thousands
of pins could be stuck in me, anywhere from
my waist down and would not feel them.
''Then was taken to the Southern Pacific
railroad hospital at Los Angeles. From Oc-
tober rs, 1883, to April % Of the same year
nothing availed. Finally DR.. Thomas Hunt
ington of the railroad thought of new thing.
He thought if / were hanged by the neck it
might straighten my body out and get the gray
matter adjusted right in my spinal column.
There was only chance. I probably would
die. told him to go ahead, and if must die
why then it would soon be over, for suffered
30 terribly that often tried to get the strych-
nine they used as medicine.
Il was carefully shipped to Sacramento to
the big railroad hospital. There Dr. Hunting
ton rugged up block and tackle with a cross
bar and straps attached, and on the Oath of
April last he hung me by the neck. Only the
merest little bit of my weight rested under my
.armpits. When they let go it felt as though
hard, and then I died, as thought The doc
tor cut me down, thinking was dead, too. In
few seconds came to and saw my feet jump
ing about like chicken does with its head
cut of. There were shootings through my
body like electric thrills and l had the most
awful pain, like driving thousand rusty nails
through my flesh.
ought to try it again. looked upon it as
almost certain DEATH but thought would
try it once more, and. il was to die, only
hoped to die then. My back felt like it ought
to be pulled. They hung me again, and stood
it for half a minute, until lost consciousness.
Day after day they hung me thus, suffering
untold torture, but the result was that after
three weeks 1 could move little, and now,
after two years. l am almost as we'll as any
body. II man die shall he live AGAIN. is a
query in Holy Writ, yet have lived and died q
score OF times and suffered more than any
man can dream of. But ali! 'All's well that
ends we'll Blessed be the hanging machiner'
Extending the Naval Academy Grounds.
Tn,& aA 80