It seems like there's a story about those canes with swords inside every few years: A 75 year-old man stabbed a homeless man with the sword inside his cane on East 9th Street. It's not clear how the altercation between Gene Carlson, the senior, and George Devol, a 30 year-old who was blocking the sidewalk (in front of the church Carlson does volunteer work in - Trinity at 602 East 9th), started yesterday afternoon, but Carlson ended up "slicing" Devol's jugular vein. The jugular! According to reports, Carlson stayed at the scene while Devol was bleeding, and the police charged him with first degree assault and criminal possession of a weapon. Police are unsure if Carlson was defending himself or if he deliberately attacked Devol, who is in critical but stable condition after emergency surgery at Bellevue. Carlson lives down East 9th Street, and is described as being "frail," in "fragile health," and "sweet."
Of course, the NY Post uses the headline: "Geezer 'stabs' vagrant with cane blade."
Photo from Newsday
