New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-11-09
BRASS BULLET IN HIS LEG.
YET LIEUTENANT DONOVAN DID NOT
HAVE BLOOD POISONING.
ryr wo,-xn RECEIVED IN THE PHILIPPINES
FIVE MONTHS AGO REoPENED AND
THE MISSILE TAKEN OUT

THE WOUND RECEIVED IN THE PHlLHrfiNho
FIVE MONTHS AGO REoPENED AND
THE MISSILE TAKEN OUT.
cass which Is interesting from a military point
OF view for its exhibition OF grit and from surs'-
cal point Of for its eccentricty Is that OF Lieu
tenant Joseph L.. Donovan. OF the list ihiah'rs'
u. g. A.. who was successfully operated upon Ias'
Saturday for bullet wound received IN the fhl'-
tpp,nes. Lieutenant Donovan served through the
war with Spain as lieutenant colonel of the esth
Regiment y. C. " Y. and when the war was
over he received commission in the 2st Regu-
lar Infantry. He went TO Manila with MS resi-
ment and IT was on June Is, in the action at
Capote River. IN General Lawtons southern cam
paign that he received his wound.
With General Lawton and two companies OF IN
fantry Lieutenant Donovan became separated from
the main line OF the American troops. II was
desperate situation and the officers bent all their
energies 10 get the men 10 place where there was
less risk of capture or annihilation. Leu'e"di''
Donovan standing facing the enemy when nc
was shot In the left leg just above the knee lie
recognized at once the serious nature of the wound
but instead of crying out he sat down and made
scientific Investigation of 1t. He came to the con-
clusion that the bullet was either a Remington OF
a slug Then he started back for the main line Inc
detachment he had been with had marched on ana
he was alone With a good sized bullet in his ielt
leg and suffering terrible pain from that memper'
he lirlpcd through rice field for about half miie
with infinite difficulty swan a river beyond ana
then crawled and pulled himself across "ioe
meadow His leg had become worse than useless
By this time and he received some aid from
soldier who was suffering with a shattered arm
Although the fighting still going on all around
the Lieutenant finally managed to reach the main
line II was a bad case of broken leg and he was
sent 10 Manila. where he was operated upon In the
hospital by Dr. j. NJ. Cabe and the latters as
sistant Dr. Ghiseln. both Of whom were Army
surgeons Dr. Cabell is now at the Columbia Hos
pital. in Washington.
Tie TWO surgeons made good job Of it, and the
lieutenant kept his leg although no effort could he
made TO dislodge the bullet. Lieutenant Donovan
arrived in this city from the Philippines on sick
parade, and he received an enthusiastc gree'ns
from the officers of the 69th Regiment His leg ala
manageable. he decided TO have the bullet taken
out. This done last Saturday by Dr. John A.
Bodine OF this city before the Polytechnic. and the
remarkable discovery was then made that the bu l-
let Of brass. II contained lead INSIDE Dut Inis
was covered with thick coating OF prass. Inc
bullet OF "A calibre. 90
The fact that man could carry a brass bullet
about In his leg for almost five months ana yet not
be affected with blood poisoning opened the eyes
OF the surgeons. Dr. Bodne was greatly surprised
when he found that the bullet was made OF brass,
and he expressed his wonder that Lieutenant Don
ovan had not been attacked with blood poisoning.
The bullet first located by the y ray process
and then two distinct operations performed.
The first consisted of the ncision and the removal
OF the bullet. and the second included ne opening
Giles and ligaments so that the leg would be free.
Lieutenant Donovan is convaiescing rapidly at
his home on Governors Island, and he has already
been able 10 get out Of bed and go about on
crutches for few short periods.
When some one ventured the remark that Lieu
tenant Donovan had shown considerable pluck in
his journey the rice fields with bad wound
in his leg he looked rather confused.
though to dismiss the subject. Besides. couldn't
run away because l wasn't able to-.