Swallowed Table Knives For Fun

1895

The glass eaters, iron chewers and all other classes of "human ostriches" are well known to the frequenters of dime museums and side shows, but it is seldom that we see, read or hear of a man who swallows indigestibles of extraordinary size just for the novelty of the thing.

Such a man, however, was John Cummings, whose history is given in extended notices in the medical and surgical annals of Boston. He watched a French sword swallower one day and immediately after attempted a similar feat with a common table knife. The knife accidentally slipped down his throat, and a few days later, it having given him no inconvenience, he repeated the experiment. Both of these exploits took place at Havre de Grace, France.

On his return to Boston he boasted of the feat, and upon being bantered repeated the dose again and again. During the following ten years he swallowed in all 35 knives and forks, finally dying in terrible agony. He died in 1809. — St. Louis Republic.

Dishwasher Runs Amuck With a Bread Knife

California, 1921

History states that the Battle of Thermopylae Pass in ancient days was not such an exciting affair, and if so, it faded into oblivion, alongside of the affair of late yesterday afternoon in which Denny Zanatos, proprietor of the restaurant on Main street above Third, known as Guidi's, did a Marathon down Main street to avoid the wild charge of a Greek dishwasher in the same restaurant, who took after the fleet restauranteur armed with a butcher knife.

The assailant began arguing with Zanatos over wages. Then the battle began, resulting in the knife wielder being arrested by the fire chief and is facing a charge of assault with intent to murder. It is claimed that the prisoner chased Zanatos about the Guidi restaurant a dozen times, not giving the fleeing Athenian a chance to open the door to make escape. Finally a waitress came to the man's rescue and when the door was opened he made one grand leap for the street and would have made Atlanta in her race of the Golden Apple look like a novice had he been her opponent on the mythical cinder path.

—Woodland Daily Democrat, Woodland, California, Dec. 17, 1921, p. 1.

Boy Rescued From Gypsies, Now of Unsound Mind

New York, 1908

Leonard Allen, Rescued from Gypsies, Runs Away Again — His Mother's Plaint.

Mrs. Mary Allen, of 14½ Union street, whose son, Leonard, was recently recovered from a gypsy camp at Fall River, Mass., called at the Times-Press office Friday and stated that the boy has again disappeared and she asked the aid of this paper in locating him. Mrs. Allen states that her son is of unsound mind and that she will not be at rest until he is committed to a State Hospital.

Leonard Allen, the weak-minded son of Mrs. Mary E. Allen, who wandered away from their home at 14½ Union street, Friday morning, was found late that afternoon on North street near the city limits. Mrs. Allen will take some steps to have him committed to an institution.

—Orange County Times-Press, Middletown, New York, April 14, 1908.


Fear of Gypsies Makes Boy Insane

Middletown, N. Y., May 22. — Seized with the fear that he would again be carried away by gypsies, Leonard Allen, fifteen years old, of this city, has become insane. He seized a large knife and threatened to kill his mother, Mrs. Mary Allen, a widow. The boy was committed to the Middletown State hospital. In August, 1906, young Allen, a healthy, rugged fellow, was taken away from this city by a band of gypsies. On March 18 last the boy was found at Fall River, Mass., | the police of that city having rescued him from gypsies.

—Distributed wire article


Told His Story Against Gypsies

Leonard Allen, the fourteen-year-old son of Mrs. Mary Allen, of 14½ Union street, who went to Fall River, Mass., the first of the month to give testimony before the grand jury against the Stanley gypsies, who took him away from Middletown two years ago, and were afterwards arrested for ill treating him at Fall River, returned to town Saturday noon, having been brought, back by Capt. Connor of the Fall River police force, who came here after him.

Young Allen was taken back the Middletown State Hospital, to which he had been committed after making an attempt on the life of his mother with a butcher knife.

—Orange County Times-Press, June 23, 1908, page 2.