Mickey Starling
reporter3@greenepublishing.com
Young John Burton Parramore was playfully rounding a corner on a cold October morning in 1901, when the fun suddenly came to a halt. He had touched an iron hitching post on his way by, apparently causing the 400 lb post to topple in his direction. Seeing the impending predicament, Parramore attempted to catch the heavy structure but instead found himself pinned beneath it. Fortunately, a portion of the post struck the curb, breaking much of the force of its fall.
Parramore was quickly attended to by Dr. J.M. Smith and a nearby gentleman, both of whom lifted the post off of Parramore, who was knocked unconscious by the fall. He was carried to a nearby drugstore so that he could be examined for injuries. It was believed that he would certainly have internal injuries, but when the young lad regained consciousness, it was determined that he was fine. Everyone who witnessed the accident was certain that Parramore was crushed to death. The young man's guardian angels had a busy day, but his survival is proof that they were well prepared for the incident.
The information for this article was taken from Elizabeth Evans Kilbourne's book, “Madison County, Florida Newspaper Clippings,” Volume 1:1901-1903.