The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-02-21
.CRAzED BY BULLET
LOST IN HIS BRAIN
John Peters Fights Four Men
In Effort to Leave the
Hospital.

NEW YORK, Feb. 20.-John Peters
became violent yesterday. He is the
young man who has lain ten weeks
With bullet In his brain In the East
ern District hospital, I'm williamsburg.
His case Is regarded as marvel In the
history Of modern surgery. The ulti-
mate recovery Of his physical health
and strength is regarded as certain,
but the doctors do not think there is
much prospect of his ever becoming
sane unless the bullet shall be removed.
he IS not yet strong enough to stand
the shock Of another exploration for It.
!, Peters Is twenty-one years old and
about feet inches tall, and weighs
Loo pounds. When he was nine years
old he suffered severe blow on the
right temple in railroad accident, and
ever since that time he has suffered
from epileptic fits at intervals Of from
four to six weeks. He spent several
years in the Craig epileptic colony. and
last fall his grandfather, John Peters.
brought him to his home, 249 Saratoga
avenue, Brooklyn. A room was being
furnished in his grandfather's factory,
and 1t was the intention to have him
i've there This made him respondent.
Young Peters was found In the fac
tory yard early In the morning of
NOV. 70 last with q bullet hole over
each eyebrow. DR.. J. Lawrence Dis
TOOK him to the Eastern District hos
pital where it was found that the bullet
through the right brow had passed out
through the inner angle of the eye.
The bullet that entered over the left
hFnVy nd
the left temple and, rebounding from
there. lost itself somewhere in the
brain tissue
The surgeons probed several times
but could not find the ball.
Effects of the Wounds.
During the first month of his stay in
the hospital Peters was in a eomatose
condition, and blind. 1t was difficult to
force him to swallow food. He was
so emaciated that he seemed mere
skeleton.
The young man gradually emerged
from this condition. Four weeks ago
he was able to count fingers with his
right eye only. Slowly his sight i'm
proved until now he can see clearly
with the right eye and a little with the
left. His appetite has returned, and he
has recovered his normal weight and
nearly all his normal physical strength.
He suffers, however, decisions and
Authorizations. He in1agines that his
father, whom he hardly has seen in
years, is outside the door of his room.
He began to declare a week ago that he
was going to leave the hospital, and no
one could stop him. Nevertheless he
committed no overt act when the doc
tors or nurses were near him. But he
tried to escape at 3 a. m. Yesterday.
He tore his pajamas and the sheets
and blankets of his bed into strips.
Then he picked up his narrow iron
bed, and using the corner of it as a
battering-ram, tried to smash down
the iron door of his cell. Two police
men, there to guard other attempted
suicides, ran in and grabbed Peters.
He threw them off as if they were
boys. Two attendants joined in the
fray, and the four had all they could
do to throw him on the bed and hold
him there.
Then a doctor came in and Peters
stopped struggling. The doctor bound
his arms and legs to the iron frame of
his bed with surgical bandaging
wrapped many times around. Peters
soon fell asleep and when he awoke a
few hours later made only a feeble
effort to leave the bed.
''The patient has not had a true cpl
leptic paroxysm since he was brought
in here" said one Of the hospital of
ficials yesterday. Il suppose the pres
sure Of the bullet on his brain accounts
for that. 1t is not impossible that the
removal of the bullet some day may
restore him to complete mental and
physical health"