1899 Accidents & Injuries

Although the front page news of a newspaper is deemed the most important, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the most interesting.

Case in point: the February 3, 1899 issue of The Mail (Hagerstown), in which stories featuring a battle with an eagle, a rib-crushing hug and a frozen tongue were reported:

• I Triple-Dog-Dare You: For some strange reason, Alfred Mose decided to see what would happen when he put his tongue on an iron pump handle. Thanks to A Christmas Story, we all know what happened next. Mose’s tongue stayed stuck until someone poured hot water on the handle to release him. “The skin is off his tongue and it is bleeding,” the newspaper reported.

• When Eagles Attack: Foster Ambrose was fox hunting near Hancock when “a large silver eagle” attacked him. “The suddenness of the attack knocked the hunter’s gun from his hands and for a time he was at the mercy of the big bird,” according to the newspaper account, and Ambrose had to hide behind a tree for cover. Ultimately, it took two shots to kill the eagle, which, according to the paper, “…measured nearly seven feet from tip to tip, the claws measuring two and one-half inches in length.” And, to add insult to injury, “Ambrose lost the fox.”

• ‘A Hearty Hug’: Sheridan Cressler was walking down the street when he saw his old friend, Daniel Downey of Waynesboro, Pa. So excited to see Downey, Cressler gave him “a hearty hug” with his “strong arms.” After being released from the embrace, Downey crumpled. A local physician determined that Cressler’s hug was so forceful it broke one of Downey’s ribs.

• With Friends Like These: We’ve all heard that we shouldn’t run with scissors, but it also seems we shouldn’t turn our backs to friends with them, either. Ernest Berry, 12, found that out the hard way after receiving a gash from a pair of scissors “thrown at him by a companion.”

• Bad Aim: Harry Lillie was hunting with his friend John Creque and accidentally shot Creque instead of the rabbit he was targeting. “Lillie fired at a rabbit and twelve shot were taken from Creque’s body afterward. He will recover,” the newspaper reported.

No slow news day here!

Source: The Mail, February 3, 1899