The Hazel Green herald. [volume] (Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Ky.) 1885-19??, 1892-07-15
DIGGER INDIAN SURGERY.
The scientific Manner In which They So,
nrokeu Leg.


The poor Digger Indians. OF California,
ave among the lowest tribes of America,
who, prior to emigration there. in isl9,
lived upon spontaneous production, such
as they could kill with bow and arrow,
and grasShoppcrs, which | have seen
there, which they captured by hmm.
dreds Of bushels ~ single capture.
During my travels there from saw-mill
10 saw-mill, when fitted and inserted
my saw teeth in circular saws at the
mills mot with gentlemen who
related curious incidents of these Dig
gers, as they are called, and among
this exceedingly interesting and curious
method they had in dealing with com.
pound fracture:
was inserting teeth in saw for
Mr.. Wilcox, IN mining town then
called Fiddlctown, in Sierra county.
Most Of tho yellow metal was obtained
by running tunnels under steep bluff
and washing Il in II brook. At the head
Of the town was their Saw-mill. and
about five or six miles from there was
nm Indian campudia "a camp. where
several hundred Of these Diggcrs lived
4 saw mill, to them. was great GU
riosity then. and nearly every day some
Of this tribe would visit this mill.
One day about twenty OF them were
there. and. il being chilly. most of them
stood in front OF tho fire under the
double. iluc boiler. when n very sad acct
dent occurred by the collapse Of the
tiues. scnlding Mr.. lloNey, one of the
owners. so that the poor man died about
four days after the accident, and il
burned several of the Indians. and blew
one poor old mohalie tsquaw) some
twenty feet into nm old miners nrospcc,
hole. and broke one of her legs below
the knee, IL being what surgeons call n
compound fracture The Diggers shout.
dcred her and went to their campudia.
the only physician there being kept &c
take care of poor Mr.. lIoxcy. About
four days after the misfortune several
hundred Diggers appeared on the high
bluff overlooking the town, with bows
and arrows and in war paint. Soon down
came n tall chief, who walked up in
front of the small hotel, and said:
''Whar saw mill men?' Some men at
the hotel pointed TO Mr.. Wilcox, then
coming over small bridge. The chief
walked up to him, saying: You saw
mill MANI MIR. Wilcox said: Yes"
well Indian came down To see saw
mill do no hurt, then white men shoot
off saw mill, burn Indian. break mo.
halle leg: Indian want to fight saw mill
men"
Mr.. Wilcox was puzzled to know just
what to do; but there was \ gentleman
in town who had been an Indian agent,
and they sent To him, who came at
once. The agent asked how Mr.. iioXey
was. and was told that he was very
low and not expected to live through
the day.
80 they went To the sufferers room
with the Indian chief, and showed the
poor mans wounds, and explained, in
Indian language: "Nomtendi acidcnti."
When the old chief replied: ME safe.
No fife all wano." Which is: 81 un-
dcrstand it was not intended: il was &C.
cidcntal; we don't fight" And ehc In
dians soon disappeared.
Now comes the interesting and Scicn-
tific part If this story. In n day or 81
after Nr lIoXcv's burial the surgeon
went to the campudia, and there sat the
poor broken-lcgged mohalie. The ply
stefan told me that the DiEgcrs meas
urcd around the leg in several places,
then cut piece ont of n slippery elm
tree near the size and shape Of th%lcg,
| took the bark Off shaved off the out
side and made as fine "A splint as he ever
saw. and fitted it around the broken
! limb. leaving the space open about one
| quarter Of an inch on the top, and were
pouring i'm little water tn keep down
the fever heat, and that in a few weeks
the squaw was limping around towI.
again.. r. Emerson, in Scientific