The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-12-13
ONE OF THE WONDERS.
Here's n Man, Alive, whose Body Was
Pierced by "a Crowbar.


Pierced by Crowbar.
w. c. Justice, the gentlemanly ad-
vance man for The Defaulter," is one
of the few men to whom is granted the
pleasure of having read his own obit-
uary. He was written up by an enter
prising Pennsylvania journalist and the
copy" prepared for publication by be-
Ing placed In type, but Mr.. Justice
cheated the news columns and did not
die. but had the pleasure of reading
what good man he had been in his
youth, about six weeks afterwards
That he is alive to-day is, however
one of the wonders of the medical
world. and has been widely commented
upon by the professional journals. This
Is not a patent medicine advertisement
and the wary reader need not be afraid
OF being buncoed by the story, which is
a strange one.
A crowbar weighing 17h pounds, IL
inches square at the large end. taperlng
to less size. in octagon shape, TO a full
length of six feet, passed through his
body. He still lives to tell the story,
and is picture of health. How II hap
pened is best told in his own words:
Il was in advance of a company bill
ed TO play at the Grand opera house
In New Castle. Penn. That was about
two years ago. During the afternoon
i was engaged in laying out paper on
the stage, preparing for erecting a
stand near the opera house. The stage
carpenter, with an assistant, was
working on scene away up in the
gridiron, so feet over my head. The
crowbar which they had used was laid
upon the cross bars. The assistant was
told to lower the crowbar, and he
started to do so. but did not fasten the
bar securely to the rope He saw Il
slipping, and yelled. Look out, below!'
i ducked my head and ran blindly,
but In the wrong direction. The heavy
end OF the crowbar struck me between
the NTH and sixth ribs and passed
half through my body, piercing the
right lung and coming out near the
naval. / pulled the bar through the
rest of the way myself and then-I
was taken to the hospital. where / re-
NAMED for six weeks. all physicians
declaring my case hopeless until /
fully recovered. Then the doctors
with one accord said IL was only a
miracle that saved my life and how IL
occurred that no vital organ was pune
tured they can not understand to this
day.
The crowbar hangs In my home In
New York city. the tips I have had
silver plated. but on the middle of IL
there is the corroded stain OF blood
from my body.
Il have heard that there is a miner
steel drill and / hope to meet him. as
there are very few OF us who have had
such experiences.
There is a lawyer down In Green
Bay Wis. who carries on his watch
charm a gold-plated bullet that pass
ed through his body and he is a mem
Der of the society. but up TO date /
think 1 may justly claim to have had
the most miraculous escape of them
all
Mr.. Carter has put railroad trains,
steamboats,. toranadoes, fire engines
and thrilling leaps for life upon the
stage and would like to cap the cli-
max by running crowbars through the
hero in a play TO be called the 'Ad-
vance Mans Anatomy He offered me
an enormous salary to go out as a
star. but / have no desire to repeat the
performance and will not respond to
an encore"