The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-01-17
sULL1vAN,s NARROW ESCAPE.

New York Letter: John L. Sulli-
van has just emerged from a hand
to-hand conflict with death. AS US
ual, his bulldog courage and uncon-
querable belief in himself have prov
ed victorious, but in this struggle he
was seconded for the first time in his
life by anxious surgeons. Most Of
John LIS friends thought that his
going to the hospital was mere in
cident. They will be surprised to
learn that the man who for IL years
held the championship of the world
came near to dying in the New York
Polytechnic Medical School and Hos
pital.
II had no more idea than a child"
said John to reporter this evening,
"of the wonderful things these sur
geons can do with man that's out
OF order. The trouble began this way:
l was feeling pretty hungry one day
and ate seven chickens inside of four
hours. Then I had some pain inside
of me. I said to my partner-Brook-
Ign Jimmy Carroll, as square a man
as l ever knew-'I'm sick man. He
sees it's real case of sickness, so
he gets a cab and takes me to the
Polytechnic Hospital.
"I'll tell you, now, they all thought
l was done. You know, at that,
real good man can always beat case
of sickness. My partners father, old
Mr.. Carroll, shook hands with me and
said goodbye and good luck. His
hand was shaking like leaf and his
face was as white as your collar. But
I knew-well, what's the use of talk
ing. You can't kill good man.
AT $3.50 in the afternoon I was put
in bed in the hospital At $3.50 the
next morning they cut me open in the
side, Is inches long and II inches
deep. No ether or chloroform. They
We're afraid of my heart. Ha! They
found out afterward my heart was as
strong as when l was Is years old. I
was a good young fellow then. 1
could lick anything that walked On
two feet.
well. they cut me open and fixed
me up. AS I'm told, I've got part Of
the skin of the tail of kangaroo sew
ed into me, also a lot of fiddle strings.
They can't say John L. isn't full Of
music now, can they? You can bet
your last dollar on this-there are 12O
stitches inside of me. They've put
lot Of bandages outside to hold me to-
gether while the stitches are taking
hold and keeping in place.
-Four weeks and five days 1 was
in the hospital. It's a great place to
study human nature, that hospital.
They kept me fiat on my back in one
position; wouldn't let me stir for fear
the stithces would part. That's the
hardest time I ever put in in all my
life. Why, the soles of my feet were
full Of pins and needles, But 1
wouldn't move. / stuck to the rules
OF the game as DR.. Bodine gave them
to me. You can't kill a good man,
you know. The sickness tired me, but
1t couldn't beat me. You know, had
the doctors back of me. They know
how to handle case of sickness.
THAT hospital was new world to
me. Now, this is no kid. They
brought in a young fellow 16 years old
that had never had any use Of his
legs since he was born. DR.. Bodine
and his men fixed him up and put him
In q plaster cast, and in three weeks
he was all right. Wouldn't you call
that miracle? This young fellow
hollering: Let fine out! | want to
rum! And he Hogan dashing up and
down the aisle.
There was atother fellow, "a years
old. and they dtd run him UP the same
way. tell y u. It's wonderful. The
hospitals Of tbs city are great, taxa