The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-02-05
CLAIM AGENT BEATS
DOCTOR TO VICTIM
Aged Man Breaks His Thlqh
by a Fall From a Winifred
Street Car.

During four hours yesterday, John
Addison, janitOr, aged seventy-three,
who had been seriously injured by
falling from street car step, lay suf-
fering, and subject to the casual care
of neighbors, in the cottage where he
lived alone, at 165 West Winifred
street West side. Meantime, the street
railway company was trying to decide
whether it had better send the old
man to private hospital at the COM
pany's expense or to the city hospital
as charity patient"
This is the explanation given by the
company's representative.
There was no need of hurry, since
within fifteen minutes after the acct
dent occurred, the same representative
had secured the injured mans sigma
ture to an agreement releasing the
company from all legal liability.
The accident took place at GAS
o'clock yesterday morning. The suf-
ferer was removed to the city hospital
at o'clock yesterday afternoon. This
as not, however, the result of undue
haste upon the part of the street rail-
way company. 1--WE hadn't yet made
up our minds where we'd take the old
man." as the representative explained,
when a charitable neighbOr of the jan
itor's ordered an ambulance from the
city hospital.
Addison is janitor of the Bethany
Congregational church, Winifred and
Stryker avenue. He is a widower.
One of his legs has been stiffened by
disease and surgical operations. But,
despite his lameness, he was not as
sisted when he tried to alight yester-
dow inc ,tv Il
home.
"As he was getting off," said Louis
Rehberger, a neighbor, of 159 West
Winifred street, ''his stiff foot caught
in the car gate, he twisted around
something broke, and he fell on his
back. He couldn't get up. The con-
ductOr tried to help him and then call
ed two men standing by. The car NOV
ed on, and the men carried Addison
into his house. I got there five min
utes later. He was suffering a great
deal.
Claim Agent Arrives Promptly.
I'm ten or fifteen minutes the claim
agent for the company came in. Ad-
olson said his leg hurt him and he
couldn't move. The agent had him
sign a release. Then the agent said
he'd send the company's doctor and
went away.
'"The doctor got in at about II,
found that the old mans thigh bone
was broken, gave him some medicine
fixed up his leg and asked him what
hospital he'd like to go to; said that
he could go to any of 'em at the COM
pany's expense. Said he'd send an am
bulance in the afternoon sometime.
had to go home about noon and leave
Addison alone"
But c. r. Frost, assistant claim
agent of the street railway company,
who preferred that his name should
not be mentioned, said:
Addison told me he wasn't much
hurt; that he never fell down at ali,
and that he could walk. But l saw
his lips twitching, thought he might
be in pain, and told him I'd have a
doctor there soon and treat him at the
company's expense. He said he
couldn't afford a doctor. He thought
the company wasn't to blame and he
signed a release Of damages. 1 left a
neighbOr Of his to take care of him and
sent the doctor over promptly.
After the doctor got back to the Of
flee we couldn't make up our minds
whether to send him to a private hospi-
tai at the company's expense or to the
city hospital as charity patient. He
agreed, you know, that the company
wasn't to blame. But while we were
ephoned us that they'd sent him to the
city hospital. After that, of course, we
hadn't anything more to do with the
case.
mo, 1 don't know whether the doc
tor left anybody to take care of Adj
olson"
Children Find the Victim Helpless.
Fortunately it CHANGED, during this
debate on ways and means, that the
young children of Harry Burnham, So
West Congress street. an officer of the
health department, decided to repeat
a kindly visit they had made at the
house of the recluse janitor and to
carry him some dainties. The children
found him alone and helpless. One Of
them ran back home. Mr.. and Mrs.
Burnham hurried over and questioned
the old man. Mrs. Burnham stayed
called up the city hospital about
o'clock. The call was accidentally
overlooked; but after o'clock City
Physician Ancker, having his attention
called to the matter, sent the ambu-
lance whose going prorouged the
street car parliament.
Yes" said a city hospital surgeon
last evening, "a broken thigh is al
ways a serious accident for a man Of
seventy three"
He Wants to Know.
D. O'Halloran, Isl Pleasant avenue
discussing the Selby hin street car
wreck. claims that the accident was due
to violation by the company of pro-
vision of the ordinance He says:
1 should like to call the attention of
the city attorney, or other proper au-
thority, If there is any authority which
the street railway company may not dis