Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-12-12

JIM SHAW IS WELL
Nationals Pitcher Tells Of His
Accident While Hunting.
NARROWLY ESCAPED DEATH
No Stiff Neck to Hamper Pitching,
But Will Garry Lead Shots
All His Life.
MARROyvLY ESCAPED DEATH

PITTSBURGH, December 11.-If>Jim
Shaw. Lawrencevif1e representative on
the Nationals pitching staff, has as
much luck in base ball battles as he
had in the battle for his life, Clark
Griffith has one OF the greatest pitch
ers in the world. for the youngster as
suredly had a narrow escape from
death as the result of a gunshot
wound the size of half dollar that ex-
tended through his neck from the right
front to the left side Immediately be-
( low the ear. He never will have
closer call. Almost unheard of sur
gical skill pulled him through and put
him in a position to continue his career
as a base ball player.
Jim Shaw is one person in thousand
who has had a charge from a 12-gause
shotgun pass through his neck and
i lived to tell about it. Psecarious would
hardly describe his condition, when for
ten days he lowered between life and
death at ST. Francis Hospital, while
physicians and nurses nlarveled at his
i. iron nerve and never say-die spirit that
Were practically pulling him out of
the grave. 1t seemed only a matter Of
how long he would fight off Demon
Death when he was admitted to the
hospital a month ago, after he had ac-
cidentally discharged his shotgun while
hunting rabbits near Kiskininetas
junction. It vas one OF those cases
where more figuring is done to ease
the suffering of the patient than to
save his life.
While the nurses and physicians
counted the hours the young pitcher
had to live, his fond mother and Sis
ter sat anxiously at his bedside, hop
ing against hope and praying for the
best. Grave doctors visited the young
athlete ever SO often and applied rem
edies to ease his pain, but Jiin's game
ness was one of the seven wonders.
and as the hours wore into days the
surgeons began to hope with the
mother and sister.
Lead Pellets Picked Out.
Although the wound had been cleaned
out, tie surgeons had done practically
no probing at the wound. Jirn's con-
dition was too serious for that. They had
injected serum into the wound at times,
but with the coming of hope the doctors
started to pick out the tiny lead pei
lets and pieces of waddinS that were
scattered in innumerable places through
the patients neck. Day after day they
worked and shot after shot was taken
out. It was tedious task. and it
finally came to the point where the
x-ray had to be called in to locate the
little lead balls. A photo was made of
the wound, and with this as a guide the
doctors picked and picked at the
wound. The photo showed the real ex-
tent OF the wound-it was a jagged
hole, extending from the front OF the
right side of the neck to the rear Of
the left side.
The shot passed between the wind
pipe and the spinal cord, but not a
pellet touched either. Just one little
{ No. lead peiiet, IL it had touched
either the windpipe or the spinal cord.
ould have snapped off Jim's life if
! il were a twig, for his life was only
/ slender thread
But the shot wasn't the only thing
| the doctors had to battle with. There
| were amy number of other things that
1 might have happened, most notable OF
! which were tho danger of the develop
ment of ietanus. blood poisoning and
/ pneumonia. Serum was injected into
the wound at intervals during the
nights and DAYS in the fight to give
! back to The national pastime one of its
most promising sons. The battle went
or and Jim was playing great game
against the Grim Reaper-and he was
playing winning game. His inn
proyenent became more rapid each
: day. but an unseen danger iurked in
the recovery. II was the stiff neck
danger that hadn't been figured on.
With WY neck Jim would have been
a back number Al the base ball line
f! for there are no records 10 show where
7 any pitcher ever had one and got by
During his long battle Jim had been in
practically only one position, his head
placed in such way that he would not
+! tear mis- wound open IL he moved. He
/ was hardly able to stir in bed and
! naturally his neck started TO stiffcn
! But surgical science overcame the dan
i ger finally and the former coiiegian
! pulled safely away from the last Of his
fpal