The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1915-04-02
BULLET In BRAIN.
BUT YOUTH LIVES
Wisconsin Lads Condition is
Puzzle to Medical Fraternity
May Survive.

SAANoSOJ AAi'1 O4-LltliC
Stephen. Stec of Kenosha, Wis, is go
ing to be the protege of medical sci
ence. That he is alive is the remark
able part of this story, and that the
medical world is baffled, and yet vital
ly interested, purely predicated cir
cumstance. A number of nationally
famous doctors have written to Keno
sha for detailed histories of the boys
case, and the entire medical profession
has expressed deep interest.
For Steve" carries imbedded in the
very center of the brain tissue lead
slug that once was pistol bullet. 1t
has been there for two weeks and will
stay there the rest of his life. 1t does
not affect him, and no one would ever
have known of it if the boy himself
had mad his way.
The accident which made the phe-
nomenon possible occurred on Sunday
afternoon, February %. "Stevc," who
is 10, and his "his brother" Albert, 6.
were left alone in the Stec home.
The night before the boys had been
to the movies. They watched with
ecstatic awe as the cowboys killed the
bandits and the Indians.
When they found themselves alona
the next afternoon the big pistol that
Papa Stec kept in his bureau and
which they had been warned never to
touch proved too great temptation
for the boys.
"Steve" got the weapon, but it was
ZAP who wanted to be the cowboy.
"Steve" let him have it and obediently
"went to sleep" before an imaginary
camp fire in the CRATE in the role Of
the bandit" while the younger boy
crept upon him.
Albert put the muzzle of the wca-
pom against "Steve's" head and pulled
the trigger. By all laws of nature
"Steve," writhing on the floor with
blood spouting from the back of his
head, should have merely been another
paragraph in the century-old tragedy
Of child and unguarded firearms.
But "Steve," almost before the re-
port died away, was on his feet.
Gimme that gum" he grumbled at
the "Kid Brother
Look at that carpet, you'll ketch
it," was his next observation.
Hurriedly he put the pistol back in
the bureau drawer, remembering to
put fresh cartridge in the chamber
in place of the exploded one.
Then he led a rummaging expedi-
ton on the family linen closet. Tow
els were found to bind around his head
to stop the flow of blood, and wash
basin and scrub rag soon cleaned up
the tell-tale stains in the living room.
When their father and mother came
home "Steve" and "All" sat looking at
the pictures of Sunday comic sup
plement. "Steve's" head was washed
clean of blood and his thick black hair
"slicked" into place to cover the
wound.
Monday morning "Steve" wouldn't
get up to go to school, and III the al
ternoon DR.. Joseph n. Palt was called.
He examined the boys tongue and his
pulse, and took his temperature. Ev-
erything appeared normal. The doc
tor was puzzled. Casually he placed
his hand on the little follows fore
head. Steve" WINGED.
The doctor asked him what hurt
him, but the boy would not tell. DIR.
Palt, however, was curious and made
a minute examination. The matted
blood on the back of his head showed.
The wound was cleaned up and the
bullet hole showed. "Steve" cried and
"Al" wept copiously, but nothing
could be pried out of either as to how
the wound was made.
DR.. Palt told the boy to get up.
"Steve" did and walked to the doctors
automobile. He sat up all the way to
the Kenosha hospital. He even walked
into the ward But there his strength
failed and he collapsed.
An X-ray photograph was taken and.
the bullet located. The wound was in
the back of the head on level with
the top of the ears and about an inch
closer to the right than to the left ear.
The bullet had ranged upward and in
ward, lodging in the very center of
the brain, midway between the ears
and about two and a half inches di-
rectly down from that section of the
Uranium known in babies as the soft
spot"
To probe for the bullet would have
killed the boy. So Dr.. Palt c!eansed
+bo wound mt "Stave" in he'd "SteVe"