A Woman's Finger Torn Off

1878

One of the most singular accidents which it has fallen to our lot to record occurred to Mrs. George Sweeley, who resides at the corner of Perry street and Central avenue, Albany, N. Y.

Mrs. Sweeley, it appears, went out to her hen-house to collect the eggs, and in order to reach one nest on a sort of loft, she was obliged to use a step ladder. She mounted the ladder, which was set against the side of the house, and while in the act of reaching out, slipped and fell. As she slipped, she endeavored to catch hold of a beam just above the ladder, but her hand slipped off that, and her heavy plain gold wedding ring on the third finger of her left hand caught on projecting nail. By the fall her whole weight was thrown on that one finger, and the nail being firm, the flesh of the finger was stripped from the bone by the ring up to the first joint, when that joint, with the stripped flesh, was cut off as clean as though amputated by a surgeon, and fell to the ground.

Strange to say, not a drop of blood flowed from the severed member. Mrs. Sweeley hastened into the house in a fainting condition, and Drs. Wm. H. Murray and T. H. Starkweather being sent for, amputated what was left of the finger close to the hand. The ring was subsequently found still hanging on the nail with the severed finger beneath it.