The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-03
THE WRONG PAIR or LEGS.
Laughable Outcome of Two Rail-
road Accidents-A Short Man and
81 Tall Man Get Mixed.


From the St Louis Globe Democrat
The artificial limb business has It's amen
tiles, like every other calling for there is
No occupation so serious but furnishes
matter for jest TO those engaged in it.
Some years ago, in a large Western city.
a switchman in the yards of a railroad
company fell on the track and the locomo-
tive wheels crushed both his ankles in
such a way as to necessitate amputa lion
about four inches above the ankle joint
The man was taken to the railroad hos
pital the necessary operations were per-
formed and he was placed in bed to await
recovery.
A day or two after the railroad accident
the mortorman of an electric car, while
leaning over the front board to make a
running switch, lost his balance. fell over
ana the wheels crushed both feet He
was taken home and the feet were ampu-
tated a few inches above the ankle. Thus
the two accidents were remarkably SINH
lar, SO far as the nature and situa ton. of
the injury were concerned; the Two men
recovered about the same time and sent
to the same leg maker to be fitted with
new pairs of legs. The obiging manufac-
turer came, took measurements and made
memoranda of the hight of the patients
ere they were shortened by the surgeons
attention. The sWitchman had been about
six feet and one inch and the motorman
was one of those short, square built mus
cular men of about five feet two. a type
that can work harder and longer than men
of any other size or build.
The motOrman got well first and sent for
his legs. They came, but by mistake the
locomotive apparatus which had been man
ufactured for the long man was sent to
the short. Owing 10 the unusual thick
ness of his members, the ,eg sockets fitted
well enough to suit him, so he put on the
legs and went to his former home in an
Eastern city A few days later the tail
man sent for his legs and when he beheld
the stumpy appendages presented by the
leg maker he flew mo a passion and re-
fused to take them. He didn't propose to
be a dwarf 10 please anybody, and il they
didn't give him good. long legs, he
wouldn't have any.
The mistake was then perceived, and
after a good deal of trouble the manufac-
turer procured the address of the short
motorman and wrote, informing him Of
the mistake and requested him TO send
back the legs which did not belong to him
and they would promptly forward his own
members, pay express charges both ways
and thank him very much into bargain.
But the short man would do nothing Of
the kind. He wrote back sturdy refu-
saLdeclaring that he was very well pleas
ed with the legs; they made him about ten
inches longer than he was before; without
even taking thought, he had added nearly
a cubit to his stature and had become
person of consequence among men, and il
the manufacturers did not know his bust
ness that was no affair of his.
The case thus assumed a serious aspect,
the leg maker considered the propriety of
going East TO get the runaway legs, but
the cost of the journey would absorb all
the profit of the transaction. Next he
thought of suing the stumpy man, but the
idea of suing for pair of legs was ride
uous. and the issue of such a suit, IL
brought, extremely uncertain, so he salts
fed the clamoT of the long man by max
ing him another pair of legs. propOrti ned
to his hight, and is now waiting for
short, stumpy man to come in and buy the
pair exposed for sale. at bargain, in his
new window.