The morning call., 1890-07-27
IN HIS BRAIN,
A Bullet That Causes but Little
Inconvenience.
From the Cincinnati Enquirer.l


A bullet in the brain is usually sufficient
to send man to his long account.
The most startling exception to this rule
probably ever known to physicians in THIS
city developed itself yesterday afternoon
Charles Kirk, a painter, "a years old, was
taken to the hospital by Patrol l with a
wound from the ball of 22-caliber revolver
in his eye-socket to the left of and slightly
above the bridge of the nose. BY probing
and from the symptoms of the wounded
man it was shown that the ball had crashed
through the thin plate of the skull in the
cavity containing the eyeball, and buried
itself i'll the anterior lobe of the brain.
Incredible as it may seem, Kirk was no
more affected by wound which usually
brings death on its heels than if he had
merely been scratched. He conversed IA
tiunally with the doctors as to the location
and probable effect of the bullet, walked
unaSsisted about the receiving rooms, ana
what seemed most miraculous, left the hos
pital and walked to his clearinghouse, I'M
accompanied and without the slightest dill
Guilty.
Kinks wound was received at 10 o'clock
yesterday afternoon A game of freeze
out" was in progress in Mike DetzePs sa-
loon, at 62 West Court street, in which
Kirk, two men whose names are not known,
and the pToprletOr's son were participants.
kirk claimed pot" showing his cards.
Young Detzel claimed that his cards were
higher, but, instead of showing them,
threw them into the deck. Aquarrel arose.
and young DetZel suddenly drew revolver
and fired full in Kinks face across the
table. Kirk threw up his right hand IN an
instructive attempt to protect himself. The
han
third finger, took a bit of flesh off the side
of his thumb aad struck him in the cavity
of the lett eye, just below the edge Of the
frontal bone and close TO the bridge OF the
nose
Patrolman Petit, who was a short dis
lance from the saloon, on Court street,
heard the shot and quickly fore ed an en-
trance into the place. Kirk was leaning
against the bar, wiping away the blood
from his wound with handkerchief Inc
other three participants IN the caId-gane
mad made their escape by the back door OF
the saloon.
The officer, after ordering the proprietor
of the place to consider himself under az
rest for violation of the Sunday law, ran to
the nearest patrol box and called a wagon
to convey Kirk to the hospital. The
wounded man told the officer how he had
received the wound. and when the wagon
arrived took seat in it without assistance.
At the hospital lie dlSmOunted without as
SiStance. and seemed to be suffering no pam.
although his left eye had become terribly
swollen and discolored.
DR.. IhOrnbury, the receiving physician,
made critical examination of the wound.
A fracture of the skull was plainly indi-
Gated by the dilation of the pupil and the
blood clOts in tine white surface OF the eye.
There was almost no hemOrrhage from the
wound until a probe was used, when the
blood flo " ed freely. Attic first application
Of Ia hn n hn rH al
the orbit of the eye. This was at first sup
posed to be the bullet, but turned out to be
a fragment OF bone from the fracture. The
bullet as detailed above, was found TO have
penetrated the bone Of the lacTymal cavity
and lodged In the brain. No attempt was
made to reach it owing to the extreme
danger of such an operation.
Kirk maintained that he felt perfectly
well. and seemed to have no idea of the
nature of his injuries. The only symptom
OF arrangement that he manifested was
slight sickness and retching. DIR. Thorn
bury dressed his wound and was about to
assign him to ward when he announced
his Intention OF going home. The doctor
threatened, warned and pleaded with him,
but in vain. He even declined to ride in u
cab, seeming to think lie would escape the
consequences OF injuries by belittling them.
lit walked firmly out of the hospital and
to his clearinghouse, 1T $40 Walnut street,
alone.
His friends at the clearinghouse tried to
induce him to return to the hospital, but he
stubbOrnly declined. Last evening, how
ever he began to suffer somewhat, and
made trip TO the East End to see his regu-
lar physician. He returned. saying that the
pain had diminished. He was somewhat
feverish, however, and agreed to 90 to the
hospital this morning if his condition was
any worse.
The doctors at the hospital pronounce the
case one of the most remarkable on record,
and say that the wound have been con-
sdered fatal under almost any circum-
stances The small caiber of the weapon
was all that saved Kirk