The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-08-14
1hE NEGRO CAN STAND
MORE THAN WHITE MAN
Ahe injured OF the Hamlet Wreck. All
OF Whom are Doing Well, Proof OF
n Observation-Disclosures o,e--
lions.

the Statement-Interesting Opera-
tions.
spanking to a Charlotte Observer re-
porter and others a few nights ago
Dr. Fl. NJ. Wilder said:
Yes, | am just delighted that all
OF my wreck negroes are doing wei.
We have thirty OF them and they are
improving every day.
we mad Aszury & Finger TO make
a block tackle for Lizzie Bowman. the
ooV Slantess, today and now we can
swing her as We please. Yes sir. we
hit ner IN canvas and handle her as
you would a piece of granite on a der
TICK. 1t required the combined and
concerted efforts Of every body in the
hospital TO move her, but now one
nurse can raise her and turn her
about without help.
You know that | was thinking. a.
came along there, that I would like
for the Yankees al the north TO come
down here and see what the kind
hearted women of the Episcopal church
here were doing TO ameliorate the
su1erlngs Of those poor negroes. have
never seen anything like it. Mrs. NAL
llnckrodt and others have been there
every day doing what they could to
relieve pain and make for comfort"
Now, DR.. Wilder tell us about wiz
ing those negroes said Mr.. McMichael
" wired two Of them. They are
doing very we'll"
DR.. Wilder did not seem inclined to
tell about his pet trick. but Mr.. Nc
Michael insisted.
Why, Dr.. Wilder, they tell me hat
You threw a negro down here once
and u a piece out of his leg t make
it the length of the other. wired him
up and he IS still living and doing
we'll. What about that? In earnest,
I am interested, and wish TO know
what you did to the negro who fires
out here at the Louise Mills?'
oh" declared DR.. Wilder, you are
talking about Van Jones. That negro
has cost me more tnan any patient
that l ever had and given me
reputation. DR.. Dennis O'Donoghue
and myself worked on him. He broke
one leg and fractured a bone in the
other. I was whetting my knives %
amputate his leg, when DR.. O'Donog-
hue, said, He is nothing but a con-
Wet, let us experiment on him a lit
tie. Why not cut the other leg down
to correspond with this one:
THE idea struck me at once. We
saw that the right leg would be three
inches shorter than the left if we sue
ceeded in getting it to grow tOgethe',
after taking out the crushed bone, so
we just cut three inches out Of each
leg, and wired the section together
with silversmith's wire. The bones
knitted, healed and got well. Van is
living and doing we'll today. Of course
we destroyed his architecture ana
made him three inches shorter than
he originally was. but, barring that,
he is all right. He rolls from 500 to
1000 pounds of coal at the Louise Mil
every day. am proud Of him. Last
wear when the Seaboard Air Line sur
seons met at Norfolk | exhibited Van
and he proved to be a great curiosity.
The operation was done in 1891 n 1t
was the first Of that kind.
.Vans seems to be as strong and we'll
as he ever was, but he is not quite
so handsome?
".James Odom, one of the negroes who
was hurt in the Hamlet wreck, had
both legs broken. When the crash
came he. was sitting with his legs TN
der the seat and they were broke be-
tween the ankles and the knees, Just
where Van Jones were. We sawed him
off and wired him together. He is 90
ing %splendidly, and when he IS "ell he
willu be but an inch shorter than ne
was to begin with.
In order to wire the two sectlohS
of bone together holes are drlile1
through each piece, he wire run
trough and tied, drawing the emo Q
the bone together. We wired anotner
wreck victim. He is going to De al
right. 1t is 4 great scheme.
"There are nineteen fractures or tle
straight bones and three Of the collar
bones"
"Whv is it. Dr.. Wilder, that the
average negro stands a better chanc:
of recovery than does the white man.
II can't say about that, but 1t IS
true Give me- 4 negro every time.
Ha has more animal in him: [ guess
that is what makes the difference
Whv. Robert Johnson Sturdivant: a
negro hurt in the Hamlet wreck, nad
concussion Of the brain and was MA
conscious for a week. He Is gong ~
oct we'll. A negro is not lost until ms
heart stops beating. He cannot staho
the loss Of blood like a white man.
why is a negro apt TO die if hurt
:. 49, haa1 docror?" asked the news
!That I cannot Observation-Disclosures
Observer.
-..r SrTuxN