A Boy’s Near-Fatal Caprice
A 14-year-old boy who accidentally hanged himself while experimenting was saved by doctors using artificial respiration.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Tommy Codnck, the 14-year-old lad who hanged himself in the basement of his mother's home on Third street on Wednesday evening, was brought back to life by the doctors Thursday morning by means of stimulants, artificial respiration, and external applications of heat. After he was resuscitated, he related the circumstances, stating he had no intention of killing himself. During an unaccountable caprice, he stuck his head through the loop and swung himself off his perch. His hands slipped, he lost his hold, and the noose tightened about his throat, preventing him from making an outcry.
“During an unaccountable caprice, he stuck his head through the loop and swung himself off his perch.”
Medical accounts of resuscitation in the 1890s are rare and fascinating artifacts of early emergency intervention. The story highlights the grim reality of childhood accidents in a pre-safety-focused era, yet it concludes with a surprising and hopeful survival.
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