Trouble Comes to Hamrick Family, Including Death of Baby Daughter, June 3, 1924

Triple Grief Comes to Hamrick Family

Triple griefs have come to the family of Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Hamrick, who live in the Zoar community south of Shelby, the saddest of which was the loss of their 10-months-old daughter, Mary Jane, who passed away Sunday following a brief illness with pneumonia.

The little child was buried Monday at 11 o’clock at Zoar Baptist church, the funeral being conducted by Rev. John W. Suttle. On last Saturday morning Mrs. Hamrick was bitten in the finger by a pilot and her finger is in a bad condition. Reports are that her finger might have to be amputated.

Some two or three weeks ago their 12-year-old son was bitten by a mad dog and he is taking Pasteur treatment [for rabies], which is very painful, but his condition is gradually improving.

From the front page of the Cleveland Star, Shelby, N.C., Tuesday, June 3, 1924.

The newspaper article says Mrs. Hamrick was bitten by a pilot. A pilot snake is a nonpoisonous black snake. A badly infected snake bite could result in amputation 100 years ago because doctors lacked antibiotics to treat the infection. Or the snake might have been misidentified and actually have been venomous.