Saturday, February 9, 2008

The Spanish Teacher's (Mis)Adventure

This is a short entry, but hardly without interest. Putting aside the action-movie event itself, we learn that you could learn Spanish in a school of 1852 Jamaica Plain. I think we can assume that it was a private school for the elite of the community, but it shows that the town was not a rural backwater at the time. On the other hand, it certainly is curious that the injured man was taken into Boston. Why couldn't he have a broken leg set in Jamaica Plain? We always seem to have more questions than answers around here.


New York Daily Times August 11, 1852


Serious Accident


On Saturday morning, a gentleman, named S.C. Bello, took passage in the cars of the Providence Depot for Jamaica Plains(sic). On arriving at his place of destination, he jumped off the cars before the train had stopped. He was thrown violently against the platform, and rolled back under the cars. By almost superhuman eforts, he succeeded in pushing himself from the wheels, and rolled upon the other track. This movement only brought him into new danger -- for a train was rapidly approaching in an opposite direction. The bystanders saw his imminent peril, and, at the risk of their lives, jumped upon the track, and succeeded in removing him from his precarious situation. He was immediately conveyed in the return train to Boston, and thence taken to the house of Capt. Pendleton, Fourth-street, South Boston. On examination, it was found that his leg was broken about four inches from the thigh bone. The leg was properly set by Dr. Thaxter. Mr. Bello is a Cuban, and a distinguished teacher of Spanish, and was on his way to instruct a class at Jamaica Plains, when the accident occurred. [Boston Transcript]

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