The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-03-22
The Unprecedented Experience Of Chicago
Policeman Murt In the Hnymarket HOT.
Prom The Philadelphia Times.

Prom the Philadelphia Tines
CHICAGO. March l2.-It must be an uncanny
sensation to look within your breast and ao-
tually see the pulsation Of your own heart
Yet this has been the experience Of Charles w.
Whitney, one OF the brave men in blue who
was injured ten years ago in the Chicago Hay
market riot. His chest was torn away bv the
explosion Of n bomb. aud as he lay in the hospi-
his V own u : throSbins heart. What is still NOR:
marvellous, he recovered, and 10 to-day doing .
mans work and commands 500 "A year more
than an able-bodIed policemen trnyellin g a beat.
May a. 1850, was a bloody night In chicago
m msTofy marched fro,n the na' Despiaines strees
station. They had been corralled there for
several cenI e Gays lay o aGGtici ,a 3s,r i G9'1 iiss END Ia at g lG;So
The country thrilled with the horror thas
followed the Intellectual efforts to disperse the
mob OF frenzied Anarchists. and the throwing OF
q bomb that burst between Lieut.. stanton and
Bowler's companies left over sixty officers lying
died within an hour and two others were hope
lessly crippled by having their legs blown of
other men were cruelty MANNED, fourteen OK
But Of ali the men whitney stood the smallest
mutilated, and bits Of exploded bomb were
embedded perilousiy near the vital organs.
He was taken to the hospital and at after tr the
Just before taking the stitches DIR. j. b
MY brave boy. do you want to see what ne
Yes; what i. ~ asked the officer feebly.
He handed his patient n mirror and Whitney
saw the greatest miracle ever given to human
: movable organ. for it neither leaps up into the
throat nor descends into the boots. In fact, 1t
generally ascri6ed to it by imaginative writer's.
But he frankly that he is incapa;
the oscillation of his heart.
Within a month he was able to return homo
f nai. was rs ' safsssd 4 to r BE 1n the sn f0a aft to r SeeSs y
unparalleled suffering. DR.. Murphy decided to
resort to the most extreme operations known to
procedure in this country 1t was the third time
II has ever been undertaken, the former cases
indicated that a piece Of the bomb casing pene-
trated the breast bone. passing about midway
located about one.eiahth of an inch from the
pericardium. Like n magnet coquetting with
he niece Ts me Of sh es1r 9e srrpo until |, the meI piercins OF
the organ was inevitable.
Relatives and friends OF the injured man pro-
tested, and, this coming to his ears. he said:
lam going to make a test case OF this. ana
see II there is anything wrong with Friday"
The %eventful morning came, Tho old wound
was completely healed. but the fesn was laid
through the officers breast bone, very much as
a skilful carp'enter uses an augnr on a hard
phine, suitable for making u hole tve-eighths of
AN inch in diameter
The delicate operation was a marvellous sue
cess, for at the foot OF this tiny tunnel lay the
piece of bomb, which was easily plucked out
with a pair OF tweeZers. III was coEe-shhpeu
ana composed of almost equal parts Of copper,
zinc. and lead. and was costly ensconced in the
outer fatty coating Ut the heart.
1t twas over a year be- ore II healed, ana durpng
that time he wore n rubber drainage tube. But
1t was several years before he was able TO do
any manual labor. Meanwhile. he watched the
Anarchists trial, kept in touch with his COM
radcs at the station, and was detailed for IieiIt
service. Then for three years he drove =
patrol wagon and a%fterwnrd served as II mes
senger on the force. For IA couple OF wears ls
was officer at the Goodrich school, and Two
years ago he was appointed AT the Garter llar-
rison public bath, where his star awcs unruiy
bathers. large and small. lie draws II regular
salary for his service, and as long as lac ll Us tie
will have a pension. The laws provide f"r
there is an assured living for every man hurt IN
the Haymarket riot.
Whitney Is II handsome man, with large gray
eyes and brown Moustache. suffering has
given his face the characteristics of II scholar
rather than n man of muscle. His conversation
with physicians have given him a scientific
knowledge of anatomy, which is perhaps not so
remarkable, considering he is the only man IN
the world who has seen his own heart.