Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-08-09

TACK in june 1889 1e-year-old Indianapolis laundry
x worker fed soed rugs into heavy cleaning mangle
- Suddenly the mange gave jerk, pulling the
youths right into the crunchng rollers The startled
workman screamed with pain whipped his left hand
and tried to pull the right out of the crushing wise.
BY the time dazed fellowworkers could shut off the
machine, the young man unconscious Both arms
caught up to the elbows and brutally crushed
several hours later he came to IN the hospital stand
ing by his bed physician thanked by two nurses
OF whom was crying The doctor spoke softly.
Sorry, But we had to amputate both arms"
The youth bit his lip to stife scream His life
ruined The thought that there place this world
for an armess cripple flashed through his mind
That was two years ago. Today, Ferdinand j. Karr-
is drawing good salary travelling salesman,
carrying art hobby, and doing everything with
that everybody else do with two. He drives
dresses himself shaves and uses knife and fork
The story Karrman's amazing comeback a fasci-
mating and good tonic for those who inclined to
feel sorry for themselves For a time suffered deep
depressionthe result his tragic accident
At the depth Of his despair Hartman heard about Ray
Trautman, Minneapolis artificial limb manufacturer,
crpPes to work In his factory on gamble the youth
wired Trauman: viii pay $500 for pair of artificial
Lands which will enable me to pick up match and light
arctic"
That brief and tothepoint telegram challenge
The manufacturer No such artificial hand eistedor at
that could pick up object small match
hold steadily enough light a cigarette Traut
devised a hand with fibre fingemas This he dis
ratched with one-sentence four-vord letter.
You be the Judge"
That was the turning point in the youths He
rec adept with Trautmans artificial hands He learned
all again practiced the best way to
his and hands.
The arms which Trautman sent him had shanks of
canzed fibre with leather straps, which attached to the
elbow The hands consisted of clamps that could be opened
closed by archng the back across which cords were
passed
Young Hartman became so enthusiastic about his new
limbs that last Summer he took his and drove all
$50 miles Indianapolis Minneapolis just
call the whose fourword letter had been the
turning point in his life.
Hartman enthusiastic that almost before
knew it. he had put him the payroll, and sent him
out the road as salesman-where he's making good
today.
To the Minneapolis man, Karrman's of rehabila-
ton is only of thousands. Tweny-seven years of
building human beings has taught him that the loss of
leg arm handicapif that person has the right
mental attitude.
Inasmuch as many Of Trautmans 1873 employees have
neither legs you'd think that his factory would
be depressing place where the workers went around
feeling for each other But just the
All well pad-62 to 9S cents hour-and everyone
owns his own home and car On the average each
worker has been there for Is years
When stros into the factory it is hard to believe
that these people who skiuly operate the machinery are
either egless amless In this respect it probably
the most unique establishment in America.
And, just in any other plant romance blossoms
among the workers The story the employees
Stephen Hoftig and Ragna Erickson Stephen.
who had lost both legs, employed the backshop
when Ragna who had undergone double leg ampuation
after motorcycle accident came to work IN the front
office 1t Of love first sight long
the legless couple were married Among the employees
IT'S standing joke that in the Hoftg home only the dog
walks its legs
Another of intraoffice jokes concerns Philip F.
Sullivan Trautmans private secretary, who his limb
less wife while acting a salesman He measured
and he married her is the way they up romance
Few people realize the number of crppes
States Trautman alone has rehablitated 81 600 Five
hundred persons the U. s and Canada according TO
statistics, lose limbs every month
Trautmans biggest task is convincing cripplcs carry
once they've resumed their normal pursuits they
problem. To who has lost his leg, ne says:
Your loss isn't bad IT couldn't
think with your leg You couldn't
smell or talk with it. All you could walking
and give you another leg 20 walk on"