Tentative Conclusions
¥But a significant change has been made in all versions of the story that I am aware of circulating in the 20th century:
The text has been modified to make the 3rd peril the worst, rather than the 2nd.
The 1880 article and the 1864 pamphlet have the 2nd peril as the worst, as seen above in panel #8.
This modification certainly makes the story more relevant in the 20th century, but it is also fraudulent.