The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1915-10-21
FOOTBALL FATALITY
ON NEZPERCE FIELD
Floyd Gilbert Succumbs to Spinal Injury
Received Saturday In Nezperce-
Grangeville Game.

Floyd Gilbert, captain and lief
half-back of the Graageville high
school football team, who sustained
a fracture of the fourth and disloca
tion of the fifth vertebrae while max
ing a tackle during the first five
minutes of play in the Nezperce.
Grangeville football game in this
city Saturday afternoon, died from
the injury at the Gritman hospital
in Moscow at 7 100 a. m. Monday.
Thus is briefly related the saddest
tragedy of which Nezperce has yet
been the scene.
On October I'd the Nezperce high
school eleven played the Grange
vile high school squad at the latter
point, and won-6 to 0. The return
game opened here about 80 p. m. /,
Saturday, October 10, with a fair
sized and enthusiastic crowd in at
tendance, and strong, but at all
times good-natured, determination
on each contesting side to win. 1t
was an ideal autumn day. The field
was fast and the play went accord
ingly. Nezperce was leading and
the visitors we're straining to over
come this. The ball had been
passed to Emory Syron, the Nez-
perce left half-back, and he was
making headway around the end.
Gilbert sought to block his play and
rushed in for the tackle. In his
lunge, Gilbert swerved trihe and
his head, instead of his shoulder,
struck Syron on the thigh and he at
the same time threw his arms about
Syron, but just after the impact and
as each player tottered to the
ground, Gilbert's arms we're seen to
relax their hold. He was unable to
arise, and other players were quick
ly at his side to assist him. 1t was
seen that he was badly hurt and he
was hurried by auto to the NezPerce
hotel, where DR.. O. A. Jeffreys ex-
amined his injury and found the
neck had been dislocated in such
way as to paralyze all parts of the
body except the heart and lung
action. The brain remained active
and the young man was conscious
until the end.
A little later on in the progress of
the game, which was called off at
the end Of the first half, when it was
learned how seriously Gilbert had
been hurt, Emory Syron also fell
victim to the play and was brought
to town, where Dr.. ]. P. Jones at
tended him. He had sustained a
fracture of the collar bone and a
wrenched shoulder, but was able to
be out a short while after his hurts
had been dressed and has since got
ten along very satisfactorily.
The parents of young Gilbert were
phoned for when his condition was
ascertained and his mother arrived
in couple of hours and the father
time later. After a consulta-
tion it was decided to take the pa
tient 10 Moscow for an xray exam !
ination. He was accompanied thence
Sunday morning by his mother and
DR.. Jeffreys, and an examination
made as soon after their arrival at
he Gritman hospital as possible.
This disclosed the fatal nature of
The wound--the spinal cord had been
severed between the fourth and fifth
vertebrae- and that nothing could
De done to save him. He died the
following morning at 7 100 o'clock.
His remains we're taken back to
Irangevillc by his grief-stricken
mother, and his funeral took place
n that city yesterday at 100 P. m.
AS a fair indication of the popu-
arity of Floyd Gilbert, his was the