The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-06-27
TaIR1BLn SIrUATIoN.-c1ased bv a araaie

THERIBLh SITUATION.-lhESed by a Maaide.
A desperate attempt to murder a young lady,
Miss Jane lie Roy, was made on the 18th in
slant, At Rockford, ILL.,. by Patrick 1tyan, while
ne was laborinS under drunken frenzy. The
News says:
1t seem. that Miss J.. Roy, who keeps house
on Main street, near the Hill, for her brother.
Mr.. James lie Roy, the attorney, was seated
in the kitchen on Saturday morning, about ox
O'Clock, when she heard the sound OF a person
chOpplng wood III tho yard. On looking out
OF the window. she discovered n man. stripped
naked, walking towards the door, with a large
axe Ill his hand, and acting in a wild and excl
ted manner.
outstanding her alarm al the nnwonted
sight she retained presence Of mind enough to
lock the front and back doors, and to rum up
stairs tO her bedroom, where she locked herself
IN. Presently she heard the madIDan--for such
she WAS now convinced he Was-hreakinE in
the back door, & job he accomplished in d short
time. Once III the house, lie went around in an
aimless manner TO upset everything he could
lay his hand upon. He rummaged the drawers,
overturned the chairs, tore papers. set things
out OF their places, but apparently without any
intention either To rob or destroy, Hr entered
Dir. Le Roy's bedroom and broke open Il satchel
containing SOME law papers, which he tore; he
pulled out the drawer of the WaSh> tand The
contents OF which he threw about, and COM
mlttcd other similar follicS.
All this time Miss Lo Roy sat in her bed
room, trembling with terror and hoping
against hope that he would pass by her door
without attempting 20 enter, but il seems that
the lunatic, with Il cunning not unusual in
such cases, was all the while aware of her
whereabouts, and finally came TO her chamber
door and demanded adIhittance She not an
swpring, he again called upon her to open the
door, or if not he would break it down and kill
her when he got inside The terrified woman
kept still, and was almost frantic with terror
al the prospect before her. At length the mad
man, grown impatient, dashed in the chamber
door, and spranG into the room. axe in hand.
Miss lie Roy, scarcely knowing what she
was about opend the window and jumped to
the ground below, = distance of some twenty
feet, and ran for the fence, which is some four
feet high, and with an agility that is truly sur
prsing, as she IL Il small. delicate woman,
sprang over il with a bound, and ran across
the corn field toward the river calling for help.
The mad1nan had cunning enough left not to
follow Miss lie Roy out of the window, but ran
down stairs, on which he dropped his axe but
on arriving i'll the yard he procured a club and
gave chase to the flying woman. She kept on
running, the naked madmaH at her heels, I'M
til she got across another fence, when she fell
on q heap of sand, and her would be murderer
on top of her, the blow he had intended for her
falling on the Sam. He recovered himself i'm
mctiiatcly and was about aiming another blow
at her head, when several men who We're in an
adjoining field came 10 her assistance and seix-
ed the lunatic before the blow fell 1t was al
mo.t Il miracle that Miss LIE Roy was not bru-
tally murdered.