The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-04-12

Saw Hi, own Heart Beat
| CHICAGO. April l0.-It must be- an un-
cauuy sensation to look within your breast
and actually see the pulsatiOn OF your
| own heart. Yet this has been the eX-
perieuce of Charles W. Whitney. one OF
/ the baye men in blue who was injured ten
years ago n the Chicago Maymarket
riot Ills chest was torn away by the
! explosion OF a bomb, and as he lay in
the hospital bed be saw, with the aid of
"a nanI mirror, his own throbbiug heart.
What is stii more marvellous hc recover
ei. and is to-day doing "a MANS work and
commands 500 a year more than AN able
bodied policeman travelling beat.
Shay D.. Is... W1s "a bloody cht in chi
cago history. one hundred and seventy
staiwart mon marched from the Des-
PLANES street station. They bad been COR
rallied there for several days anticipating
crisis. and at 1890 o'clock the order 90
"fall In line was given. The country
thrilled. with the horror that followed;
the Intellectual efforts 10 dispense the mob
Of frenzied Anarchists. and the throwing
of "a bomb that burst between Lieutenant
stanton hnd Bowler's companies lott
over nifty officers lying IN - heap on Hay
market square. one man died within an
hour. and two others were hopccssly Grip
plei by having their legs blown Off. other
men We're cruelty manned, fourteen OF
whom are now dead.
But or AN the men Whitney stood the
smallest possible chance OF life. His
breast was horribly mu.ugtcd, and bits
of exploded bomb We're cmleacd perilous-
ly near the vital organs. Tie was taken
to the hospital. and after the necessary
I.r Cd ID
just before taking the stitches Or. J. b.
Murphy inquired:
My brave boy. do you want 10 see
what n0 man ever saw bcfore?'
"1es. what is it?' asked the officer
feebly.
"Your own heart
He handed his patient a mirror and
Whitney saw the greatest miracle ever
given TO human eyes. Tie now afiirms
that the heart i5 not a movable organ, for
Do neither leaps up into The throat nor
descends into the boots. In fact, 10 does
not indulge in any of the acrobatr fcats
generally ascrihed 60 20 by imaginative
writer's but Dee frankly acknowledges
that he IS incapable OF expressing his
sensation as Dee watched the oscillation OF
his heart
Within a month he vas abe 70 return
home and was supposed 90 De- on the road
CO. recovery. Later he suffered a relapse,
and. after weeks Of unparalleled suffer-
ms. Dr. Murphy decided 10 resort 20 The
most extreme operations known 10 scien-
unc surgery. IN the history Of surgical
procedure 600 this country it was the third
time 70 has ever been undertaken, the
former cases having proved fatal. a
careful examination Heated that
fr..H rr.. r.r f..I fn..
breast bone. passing about midway be-
tween the second and third ribs. and
uas located about 0ue-eiehth OF an inch
from the percarmm. Like a magnet
connecting with "a piece Of metal every
throb of the heart brought the piece OF
shell nearer. until the piercing Of the
orran was inevitable.
Tho oporation was set for Friday. No
vember O.. 1886. Relatives and friends Of
the injured man prot stod. and. this COM
inc to his ears. be said:
81 ann going 90 make a test case Of
this. and SEQ N there g. ANYTHING wrong
with Friday"
The eyoutful morning came. The old
wound was completely healed, but the
flesh was laid omen. and Or. Murphy
proceeded 10 bore "a hole through the Off
cer's breast bone very much as "a skill
fgl carpenter uses an augur ON hard
wood stick. Tile instrument Isod was "a
rouhino suitable for making p hole fvc-
cirhths of an inch in diameter.
The delicate operation was marvellous
success for at The foot Of this tiny
tunnel lay The piece of bomb. which was
easily pluckcl out with % pair of iVceZ-
ors. 20 was conc-sha1el and composed of
almost equal parts of cop1,r. 2:nc. and
toad. and was costly cnseouccl ~ the