Rensselaer Republican, Volume 12, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 December 1879 — SCALPED BY MACHINERY. [ARTICLE]

SCALPED BY MACHINERY.

A Yanng Girl, WMa Playfully Pretends to Cart Her Hair a Revolving Shift, Meets with a Terrible Fate. The accident in the lithographic establishment of Restein Brothers, corner of Seventh and Dickinson streets, has resulted in death. Among the persons employed in the works was a girl named. Jennie Hall, a lively, vivacious miss, fifteen years of ago, - who, with a view to frightening her companions in the establishment, had on several occasions wrapped a lock of her hair around a small shaft, playfully remarking that she was going to curl her hair by machinery. The act had previously been condemned by those in the establishment, and the thoughtless girl was warned against repeating it. Jennie lived with her aunt at 1789 South Thirteenth street, and had her dinners sent to her. On Friday last, while the machinery was stoppea during the dinner hour, Jennie's dinner was brought to' her as usual by a little girl. Instead of eating her dinner at once, she chatted for a While with the child who had brought it to her, and then repeated the imprudent act of pretending to cur) her hair on the shaft, which was in motion. Stooping over, she placed a lock of her hair, which was short, on the shaft, thinking it would slip off again as it did before. She had no sooner committed the fatal act than she cried out, “ Save me!” The little girl who had brought the untasted dinner caught Jennie by her clothing and clung to her with a’deathlike grip. In an instant the unfortunate girl’s hair had become so firmly wound around the shaft as to tear the scalp from the back of the head to the brows. The blood streaming over the sufferer’s face presented a horrible sight, while her piercing cries could be heard a block away. As soon as possible the steam was shut off and the shaft ' stopped, but the poor girl was then free from the horrid entanglement. She was at once conveyed to the Pennsylvania Hospital, where every effort, was made to relieve her suffering and to preserve her life. She retainedherconsciousness until eight o’clock Saturday morning, when, to relieve her agony, she was put under the intflucnce of anaesthetics. Mortification subsequently set in, and at a few minutes before twelve o’clock on Saturday night Jennie had paid for her imprudent act with, her life.— Philadelphia Record. .