Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1906-03-30
BULLET CUT OUT.
Veteran Had Carried the f.ece of Lead
Around in His Body for
AZ Years.

TUT 70 years william ATluuIt Oo
years old, of 1872 North Liberty street,
who was a member of Company II,
Tenth Indiana infantry, during tho
civil war, carried around in the left
side of his back a slug of lead which
he received in the battle of Chicka-
mauga, says the American Tribune.
He suffered greatly from the bullet.
Without even taking an anesthetic, he
permitted the doctor to cut out tha
piece of lead. Then Arthur walked
home.
I'm tired of telling people where
that bullet is,' Arthur said previously
to the operation. "Soon's the doctor
has taken a little cut at me I'll be able
to take it out of my pocket and show
them.
Where did / get the bullet? Right
on the firing line at the battle of
Chickamauga The Tenth Indiana was
in the thick of the fight and H COM
pany was we'll to the front. When
the thing occurred l could see MOI
fewer than four or five regimental
flags of the rebels. l guess had fired
my gun five or six times when 1 no.
ticed that Mississippi regiment IN
our right was cutting our men down
as if they were weeds. | just thought
to myself, ri take one shot at you
fellows and raised my gun to fire, bu.
/ never fired that shot, and 1t was a
long time before l fired another one.
Just as l raised my gun and was
taking aim to let one of the nearest
| confederates have it, 1 felt a sharp
sting in the left arm, and realized that
was shot. My gun fell to the ground
and Barney Shaw, of Lafayette, who is
well known in Indianapolis, and who
was the hospital steward of H COM
pany, came up from behind and helped
me to get in an ambulance.
SHAW took me back about a mile
and half, where l was dropped on
the ground with thousands of others.
some dying, some already dead, 9TH
ers only slightly wounded. My wound
was in the left arm, almost in thu
shoulder. 1t gave me all sorts of pain
| then, and in years afterward, in fact
| 1t was much worse hurt than ono
would imagine. II l had not been
blessed with a splendid constitution
would never have lived to have that
| bullet taken out after carrying ii
around with me for AZ years, for got
little attention until after 1 got to a
hospital at Nashville, Tenn, several
weeks after the battle.
IN the old Crutchfield House, now
the Read House, at Chattanooga,
which was used as hospital after the
little or no attention, and the wound
was not even properly dressed until
got to Nashville. Then the bulle:
couldn't be found. Gradually it worked
its way back over my shoulder down
on the left side of my back"
Arthur exhibited the big, ugly scar
which the bullet made when 1t went
into his arm, and the doctor traced this
probable course taken by the bulle:
during the AZ years 1t has been gettii1e
farther and farther away from thu
place 1t went in. When the physician
prepared to cut the bullet out it was
found to be near the thirteenth and
fourteenth vertebrae, about an inch
and half to the left of the backbone
The old soldier sat in chair leaning
over and with his hands and head rest.
ing on the operating table. The physi
clan injected cocaine where the incis
ion was to be made and moment la.
ter the bullet, which probably KEEP
Arthur from shooting some member o
Mississippi regiment at the battle o
Chickamauga, had been cut out Ar
thur stood the operation we'll, showing
remarkable grit, and after few min
utes walked to his home. The physi
clan expects no ill effects from the op
Grafton.
Feel better already" Arthur re
marked, after the operation, as he tool
a good look at the leaden missile
which he carried around so long
Now, when they ask me where tha
bullet is l can show 'em better than
can tell en-