Someone recently mentioned to me that his favorite column of mine has been the one that mentioned accidents involving pitchforks. Another reader mentioned that she had seen the names of two different relatives in separate columns. I decided to write today about accidents or unfortunate incidents that involve young people and hope that someone might learn something about a relative that they didn’t know previously. The first is from the Monroe Sentinel and the rest are from the Monroe Evening Times.

The first is about a narrow escape from August 23, 1871. “A little girl living in the north part of the village came near death last Saturday from a mad cow which Temple Gardner and his hired man were trying to corral. The cow had broken from the enclosure and had been driven for several hours in the attempt to put her back; being naturally of the brindle disposition, rushed at everybody she met. The little girl was saved only by Temple running his horse between her and the cow. The horse was thrown down by the shock and it is a wonder that all parties were not gored.”

A 10-year-old daughter of a Hildabrandt couple who lived just east of town was run over by a load of wood on Friday, September 24, 1909. The wheel passed over her right leg just above the knee, breaking the bone. The child was playing in front of the load and was in the act of running across the road when she tumbled. The load was heavy, the horses were almost upon her when she fell, and they were going down a hill so the driver was unable to stop before the first wheel had passed over the girl. She was carried to her home; a physician was immediately called to set the bone. It was reported six days later that his recovery was as fast as could be expected.

In late July 1910 Georgie, 17-month-old son of Ed Bernstein, who lived south of Brodhead was kicked on the head by a colt and received a scalp wound that was three inches long and required eight stitches to close. He was doing nicely when the article appeared in the Times.

A week later Walter Wyman, 9, son of Steve Wyman and wife, had his left arm broken at the wrist while playing at the home of William Heinzelman in Washington township where the Wymans were visiting. The children were playing at the grindstone, which fell and caught the boy’s arm. He was trying to help the Heinzelman boy. Doctors Clark and Baird were called and “reduced the fracture.” Walter, who was a substitute carrier of the Times in the Second Ward, was brought home.

In October of the same year, Mazie Monahan, daughter of John Monahan, had a piece of a broken needle removed from her foot. While dressing one morning several days before, she ran the needle into her foot and subsequently went to a Milwaukee doctor to have it extracted. The doctor found two pieces and Miss Monahan came home, but continued to have a problem with inflammation. She then went to Dr. L. A. Moore, who found and removed a third piece of the needle embedded in her swollen member.

Lucile Legler fell from the upstairs window of her grandparents’ residence at 1213 21st Avenue on Tuesday evening, April 25, 1911. She broke her left leg just above the knee and obtained a deep gash under her chin that required six stitches. Lucile had been upstairs alone at the time to change her shoes. It was presumed at the time that she was sitting in the window and leaning against the screen, which was not locked from the inside, while fastening them. She fell to the cement walk on the east side of the house, with her injuries indicating she struck her face. She called for her grandmother and was sitting up, holding one foot when found. She was able to relate what had happened, pointing to the window upstairs from which she had fallen. Lee Legler, Lucile’s father, was called and doctors W. G. Bear and R. B. Clark were summoned to attend to her injuries. She not only had to contend with the injuries she received this day, but also had whooping cough at the time. 

The paper added, “It is considered miraculous that the child was not killed outright, falling as she did on the cement walk.” The family wired Miss Margaret Clifford, a trained nurse from Monroe who had been in Watertown, South Dakota at the time. She was expected to arrive in Monroe within two days to help care for Lucile. The Times mentioned about ten days later that Lucile was recovering.

Seventeen-month-old Joseph Sonderegger, who lived with his family at 1603 14th Avenue, swallowed a piece of Lewis lye on the evening of Tuesday, May 16 of the same year. He suffered greatly that night because his throat, tongue, and lips were badly blistered. His mother, Mrs. Albert Sonderegger, had used some of the lye for outdoor purposes and spilled several drops on the porch as she went into the house to put the can away. She heard the child scream and, upon investigating, found that he had mistaken the lye for a cracker and swallowed the solution. Dr. Bear was called and was able to help relieve the suffering a bit. 

Accidents continue to happen, but are not publicized in the newspapers like they used to be. I am so thankful for the medical knowledge and technology that we have nowadays.

— Matt Figi is a Monroe resident and a local historian. His column will appear periodically on Saturdays in the Times. He can be reached at mfigi48@tds.net or at 608-325-6503.