The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-05-15
SEVERED THE JUGULAR.
Narrow Escape of Petulant Child From
Bleeding to Death.


Bleeding to Death.
Little Mary Shaw will live after all, al
though it is acknowledged at Gouyerneur
Hospital that she has had one of the mar
rowest escapes twenty month-old young
ster ever experienced, says the New York
World. All Mary's trouble came from dis
obeying her parents, and her story has a
strong moral for small girls who are too
fond IF having their own way.
The retribution which descended upon
Mary came about in this way:
She was at the breakfast table Monday
with her father and mother and her five
brothers and sisters. The latter ate gladly
what was placed before them and made no
complaint But Mary was critical. She
didn't like the sausage. she had no earthly
use for the potatoes, she scornfully refused
her usual meal of bread and milk. The
menu was not elaborate and her parents
were in despair Did Mary feel sick? No;
Mary felt very we'll indeed. Didn't she want
some of the nice things her brothers and
sisters were enjoying so much? Apparently
she didn't want any Of the nice things. At
this point even the baby lifted its head and
looked at her disapprovingiy. The ShaWs
had never had such time with their we'll
behaved, curly headed little family.
bright thought struck the mother.
the woman filled a large cup and offered it
to her unruly little girl.
Mary took it, For a moment she held it
suspended, while her parents watched her
hopefully, and then, with all the force of
her small body, she dashed it down. There
was shower Of coffee and Splintered china,
q shrek OF dismay from the mother, an elf
ish laugh from the tot who had wrought the
ruin.
Half of the cup lay broken into dozen
fragments. The 0the half was almost III
tact, and lay with the jagged end upward in
small sea Of coffee. Inc little girl leaned
over TO look at her handiwork and, unfor-
tunately for her, leaned too far. The jagged
cup lay in wait The next instant she had
lost her balance and fallen from her chair
with great force upon the sharp edges of the
broken cup.
For time things looked dark for Mary.
From tour-inch gasn in the neck the blood
flowed in streams. There was wild cOnfu-
sion, but no one knew what to do and it
seemed that the child would bleed to death.
The doctor was sent for but could not be
found. The neghbors ran in and the great
tenement was in state of tumult. Finally
the mother found a basin OF water and tried
tn check the flow with wet cloths. 1t was
$3.50 o'clock, fully an hour after the accident
had occurred, when the ambulance arrived
and took the baby away. The blood was
still flowing, and the little one was very
weak.
At the hospital it was discovered that the
jugular vein had been cut through, and that
there were several severe gashes in the
cheek. The ends of the vein was picked up
and tied. the flow of blood was stopped a
bad cut was sewn up, and the physicians at
G0uyerneur Hospital said there was just
chance that the baby would recover.
Yesterday morning this chance had
strengthened into certainty, and when
Mrs. Shaw called at 10 o'clock she was re-
jOiced to learn that Mary was out of danger.
All the prankishneSS and eitiShneSs had dis
appeared and the small girl was very quiet.
Her face and neck were badly swollen ana
covered with bandages. One eye WAS hid
den, but in the other her mother thought
there was a lurking expression which seemed
to say that Mary means to lead a different
life il she ever fluids herself back in her lit
tie home again.
Some OF the spirit which brought on the
catastrophe remained with the victim and
made her one Of tine Quickest and braVtst
little patients the hospital has sheltered for
a long time.