KILLED BY LIGHTING A MATCH.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1712, 16 June 1884, Page 3

KILLED BY LIGHTING A MATCH.

There are people to be met with who have the habit of igniting matches by striking thorn with their finger' nails when no other convenient way presents itsolf. To any such, tlio circumstances under,which n young French ganlleman has just lost his iifo ought to serve us a warning. He had entered n train at the Orleans railway terminus, liml wishing to light a cigarette, he ignited ft lucifer match with his thumb nail, A particle of the burning phosphorus got under the nail whilslduing so; Imt no attention was paid to.tho trivial circumstance at the moment, and it was only nn hour or so Inter, when acute pain, accompanied by swelling of the wrist and arm, set in, that uneasiness was felt.- Tho traveller, finding that his sufferings were becoming intolerable, alighted at the next station where the train stopped, and n doctor was sent for, who on examining the patient's arm, declared immediate amputation was necessary. The young man could not resign himself to this terrible operation; his friends weie apprised by telegraph of what had occurred, and arrived three hours later. During this brief interval, however, tho situation had changed for the worse;: medical, men gave it as their opinion that won. : nr).putation could not now save the Jife ; of the patient', who oxpired a victim to his imprudence within 24-hours after he had started on his journey.