The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-12-20
Statistics of the Number of Legless and
One Legged Men-American Sub
stitutes the Best.

been able to do it, has repaired by artificial
appliances to as great.an extent as possible
the damage which he has sustained by am
putation.
The railroad is the cruelest and most per-
sistent amputator. The wooden-leg makers
would starve if the railroad should by
some process be SO reorganized that the
mutilation of human beings would not be
one of its chief functions. Ninety per
cent of the amputations which take place
in this country are ohargeable to the rail-
road. Compared with the railroad. war is
of very slight consequence as q contributor
to the ranks of the MANNED. Into one of the
artificial limb establishments of this city
come every morning clippings from news
papers sent in by newspaper clipping
agency. 1t is largely upon the basis of
facts furnished by these clippings that the
affirmation as to the cruel work done by the
railroads is made. In six months 4,O56
cases OF losses of limbs have been reported
in these newspaper clippings, and out of
this number over 3 800 have been railroad
cases.
The prosthetic art. as the manufacturers
of artificial limbs call their line of work,
is not, strictly speaking, new thing. In
geons in London there is exhibited an arti-
fetal leg which was found in Capua in 1885,
after having been underground since the
early Roman times. The museum authori-
ties catalogued this as "Roman Artificial
Limb" and described it as follows:
"The artificial limb accurately represents
the form of the leg. It is made with pieces
of thin bronze, fastened by bronze nails to
wooden core. Two iron bars having holes
at their free ends are attached to the upper
extremity of the bronze; A quadrilateral
piece of iron found near the position of the
foot is thought to have given strength to it.
There was no trace of the foot when found,
and the wooden core had nearly crumbled
away. The skeleton had its waist sur
rounded by a belt of sheet bronze, edged
with small rivets, probably used to fasten
the leather lining. Three painted vases lay
at the feet of the skeleton. The vases be-
longed to rather an advanced period of the
decline of art, about 800 years b. o.
Without doubt the genius of each gen
Grafton for many centuries has been di-
rected, to some extent, to furnishing proper
props to put under men and women who
have lost their own, but it is obviously true
that the development Of the wooden leg
toward perfection has been more rapid In
the last twenty-five years than in any pre-.
ceding twenty five years, and that Ameri-
to the credit of having turned out some
thing almost as good as the real flesh and
blood legs. To quote the somewhat forid
language Of man in the business: ''.Hhe
leg received but little improvement until
the venturesome selpho INTRODUCED it into
own. Here it met with American enter
prise and began to thrive"
It seems to be but short time ago that
the turned peg was about the only thing
that a person could buy who was in need of
another leg to stand upon. Occasionally
one Of these rude humping things may be
seen in these times, but the sight of it is
like picture of life in former generation.
The wearer does not seem to be entitled to
be regarded as one of us. The thought
comes into the mind that he has been pro-
iected out of his own age of stage coaches
and other slow things to serve as one of the
dual parts of an object lesson from which
men may learn that the world Is not what
it used to be.
Invariably when I see one of those rid
Guoas Ne New .4 York man sna few
English hostler. The hostler said he was
never in such predicament in his life as
when he was helping an old peR-legged
woman from the top OF a coach, and she
gave a slip and the end of her wooden leg
was thrust into his breeches pocket"
Wooden legs are made nowadays which
80 we'll replace the natural legs that the
wearers do things that surprise themselves
and their friends. The catalogue of q
Broadway leg merchant contains number
of pictures illustrating this point, which
are quite instructive. One picture repre-
sents newsboy getting ON board a swiftly
accompanies the picture in which it is
stated that the artificial foot which the boy
wears IS such perfect substitute for the
foot which it replaces that very few persons
discover that it is not the natural article.
Another picture represents a baRgage-mas-
ter with two wooden legs walking off with
an enormous Saratoga trunk upon his
shoulders.
Another picture shows Farmer Cox, a
veteran of the late war. spading his garden,
spade into the earth with his wooden leg.
Another picture shows a blacksmith with a
wooden left leg shoeing spirited horse.
whose hind foot he holds in regular black
smith fashion while he drives home the
nails. A young man on bicycle is shown
on another page, with both legs wooden,
and quite remarkable scene is pictured
upon the page preceding, wooden legged
boy skating on the ice at the head of q
bunch of boys. the rest of whom are trying
in vain to catch him.
A timer climbing ladder, gardener
shining up a tree, q. literary fellow" at
home Lying on a lounge, his two wooden
legs crossed in an easy and comfortable
position while he reads a novel, and q man
with two wooden legs, streakinR it about q
race track, engaged in an attempt to break
the record, are summaries of q few of the
remaining pictorial stories contained in the
volume referred to.
Some men are SO enthusiastic about the
wooden legs which they wear that they pro-
nounce them superior to the natural article
in some respects. A wooden-legged man
walking down Second avenue was assaulted
by cross dog. He kicked the dog with his
wooden leg and the dog responded by set
ting his teeth in the wood so deep that he
had difficulty in getting loose again.
You oughter have seen that dog scoot for |
Harlem when he did get free,'' said the man
who figured in the bloodless contest. 81
suppose that he thought he had tackled one
of them Poccyhantusscs or Sitting Bulls
that the cigar men use for signs and was
just naturally ashamed of himsel.. guess
he would have made an end of me though
if he had got hold of my otner leg. and |
shall always cal that in the dog Gays my
wooden leg is the best one I've got.''
Ihis story naturally suggests another
about wooden-legged man who worked
for merchant who was very much inclined
to be funny. One day when visitor was
IN the office the merchant pointed out his
wooden-lsgged clerk. and said: "There is |
one of the greatest curiosities in the world. |
He can walk as well as either of us; yet he |