Crisp Lake Chronicles, Vol 3

Crisp Lake Chronicle - 1951

In a dual ceremony last Saturday Doc Walsh and Steve O'Banion received the coveted Crisp Lake Association award for Valuable Service to Mankind. Doc Walsh was given the award for reattaching the left big toe of Beeney Watts and Steve for thinking quickly enough to carry Beeney and his severed left toe to Doc's office in Fairmount.

In sworn testimony Steve and Beeney told authorities that Beeney had been doing dishes for his mother late in the afternoon because Beeney's mother was working second shift at Charlie's Market. A butcher's knife fell from Beeney's hand thus slicing his left toe completely off. Steve and some friends just so happened to be walking on the lake bank of Crisp Lake when they heard Beeney scream. They rushed into Beeney's house and found Beeney on the floor with blood spurting from where his left toe once had been. Steve immediately took charge of the situation, applied some dish towels to the bloodied area, found the toe among the blood, put it in his pocket, picked up Beeney and between he and his pals carried Beeney to Doc's office, like I mentioned above.

Doc Walsh had never really done a toe reattachment but tried anyway. Apparently it was successful and Beeney will be fine and the limp will eventually go away. Doc is expected to receive an additional award from the Fairmount Volunteer Fireman's Club while Steve and his friends will receive a salt cured ham from Charlie's Market.

However upon further investigation by the Chronicle the truth was found. This is what really happened.

Steve, Beeney, and some other boys were rummaging around Beeney's grandfather's garage when they came across a large hunting knife that both thought would work better for their favorite game, stretch'em, than the little pen knife they normally used.

Now to the one or two of you who do not know what stretch'em is, it is when two opponents face each other standing at attention. One throws a knife to the left or right of the other and then the one being thrown at stretches his closest leg to where the knife was thrown, as long as it sticks in the ground and one can get two fingers between the handle and the ground. Then the process is reversed and continues that way until one of the players either can't stretch any further or loses his balance.

Steve is a master of the game but Beeney came up with the idea to play "chicken." That is where two opponents face each other with legs spread as far apart as possible and each player takes turns throwing the knife between the others legs and one foot is drawn to the center where the knife stuck, given the two finger rule of course. This continues until one of the boys (girls are not allowed to play) decides that his feet are to close together and doesn't think the other guy can throw the knife accurately enough.  Then he says Chicken.

Beeney had about six inches between his feet when Steve suggested Beeney give up and call Chicken. Beeney refused to quit. Steve begged him to chicken out, but Beeney would not be reasoned with. Beeney said he wanted to throw the knife back towards Steve one more time and watch Steve chicken out. Beeney taunted Steve and said he was the Chicken not he, Beeney.

The only part of the story told to investigators that was true was that Steve did pick-up the severed toe, put it in his pocket and carry the crying and screaming Beeney to Doc Walsh's office.

It is not clear who really won the contest because Beeney did not chicken out and Steve, by the rules, has to let Beeney throw the knife back, or chicken out. The word on the Lake is that as soon as the swelling goes down and the toe is healed that a rematch will take place.