Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-08-06
COURAGE SAVED Her HAND
MISS MAMIE EDELMAN's BRAVERY
IN THE FACE OF DANGER.
Pinned Beneath a Railway Wreck
With Death by Drowning Immi-
nent, Her FOrtitude Did Not
Desert Her.

City Detective c. L. Sanderson wires from
Denver. concerning Miss Mamie Edel-
mans injuries in the Union Pacific wreck,
as follows: "Mamie's only injury is left
hand mashed; getting along nicely"
This will be good news for the many
friends Of Miss Edelman. In TIL. oonnec-
ton the Denver News, in its account of
the wreck, contains matters Of interest. It
says:
The train men first recovered the body
Of Express Messenger Harrington, the only
occupant of the baggage car. He was
found under the debris. dead and badly
mangled. Postal Clerks Rankin and Reed
had already crawled from the wreck and
were soon carried into one of the sleepers
and made as comfortable as possible. The
body of Engineer Ward was found under
the cab of the engine. The escaping steam
had scalded him until the flesh dropped
from his bones as he was lifted from the
wreck and his body wrapped in a blanket.
In the meantime attention had been turned
by some of the resCueTs TO the occupants
Of the chair car. Eight people in that car
had been hurt. but there was no difficulty
in removing any of them until Miss Mamie
Edelman, of Kansas City. was reached.
Miss Edelman's right hand had become
caught in the wreck and she was pinned
down so that she could not help herself
in any way. The water. which was rising
rapidly in the creek. was running through
the car and had reached the lady's chin.
All efforts TO rescue her and release her
hand were unaVailing. and one OF the
physicians I'm the party had decided to cut
the arm of at the wrist. when Miss Edel-
man protested. She said she did not want
to drown and was opposed to losing her
hand. and asked that the rescuers take
hold Of her and pull good and hard. Her
request was granted and her rescue eff
fected. ct the expense. however, OF having
her hand friChtfully lacerated. She re-
ceived great praise from the physicians
and train men for the cOmplacenCy with
which she accepted the situation"
After reaching Denver Miss EdeIman ap-
pears in an interview as follows: 1t may
sound funny, but the fact is the thing that
bothered me was whether / should drown or
have my hand cut off, said Miss Mamie
Edelman. of Kansas City. who WAS pinned
caught. The water was up TO my chin,
and I could not move. / did not want to
drown, and then / thought how l would
look and feel with only one hand. and was
about reconciled 10 being drowned. when
the men gave another pull and brought me
out. II was only after ! wac safely out Of
II that I really became conscious Of the
frightful pain l was suffering. ] was not
drowned and ] did not lose my hand, but
] will have a mark 10 remember the acct
dent by as long as / live
Mr.. L. Eckhart, Of Topeka. was one Of
the passengers m the chair car. He was
en- route 10 Seattle and was doing when
the accident occurred.
There was not an instant's warning"
said he in describing his experience to a
News reporter. Il was lying there in the
chair half asleep when something hit me
over the eye and everything was tangled
up in a mass OF splinters. 7 don't remember
hearing anything but a crash. and the next
thing I knew / was picking myself up from
between the chairs. ! heard groans an
around me. and as soon as l found | was
not much hurt j tried to help the lady who
was sitting in front of me and who was
pinloned down between the chairs bv some
OF the wreck OF the front end OF the car
The whole front end OF the chair car was
hurled hack into the car all aRlinFarad anS
twisted, and that Is what hurt the women
the flying spunters and pieces Of wood and
iron bruising them. The woman I'm front OF
me was fastened tight by the leg and we
had some trouble getting her out and then
found that her leg was broken. ] got of
with this cut over my eye and a bad shak-