Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1860-09-13
Long and Exciting Seige of a Maniac
An Extraordinary Affair.
About ten o'clock on Sunday nigl

An extraordinary AHalT.
About ten o'clock on Sunday night a
mailman climbed up the roof Of one story
and attic grocery at the corner Of Constance
aud Gaienne streets and. seating himself
on the ridge of the slanting roof, beside
the chimney, he commenced singing Wild
air, to which he vigorously kept time by
beating with tomahawk he had taken up
with him. Su.h an extraordinary sight at
tracted a crowd very quickly, and fearful
that he would lose his balance and tumble
down, they shouted to him to descend
through the dormant windows. He sur
veyed them with the most placid inditfcr-
ence from his exalted position, but paid no
heed to entreatics or threats, until, as the
crowd increased in size, and became more
boisterous, his passion seemed to be arous-
ed, and loosening the bricks of the CHM
ney, he very deliberately broke them in
pieces on the ridge Of the roof and hurled
them at the people below. \ great scat
tering took place, but not before few were
struck and bruised with the brickbats which
came with unerring aim upon those for
whom they were intended After gaining
man was evidently determined upon main
tanning it, and now perhaps laboring under
the belief that he was beseigod by the pop
ulace, he kept on coolly loosening bricks
from the chimney and breaking them into
proper size for ammunition with his toma-
hawk. Not a man, woman Or child could
now approach within any distance from him
without running the risk of having their
heads cut open by the missiles which came
thick and fast from his trenzied arm. All
night long he kept his position, and so re-
lentless was he in his watch for objects to
fire at that the watchman had to caution
passers by to keep under the cave Of the
house, out Of his reach.
When daylight came, he was even more
vigilant than before, and the immense
crowd that collected frequently got too near
him, so that number Of persons were
struck, but not badly hurt. This state Of
affairs was becoming quite serious. The
maniac had nearly used up the whole chin
ncy in his bombardmeat of the neighbor-
hood, and the street was covered with brick
bats, while no one could pass unless by
crouching along under the cave Of the
house. He seemed tireless in his fury, and
answered implorings, commands and threats
only by shower Of missiles. Some eight
or ten policemen were on the ground with
Mayor Monroe, and the question perpIcxed
all how he was to be removed A couple
of officers had made an attempt to bring
him down by getting through the dormant
windows The roof was so steep that they
could not have grappled with the madman
without reeling of, and besides, as soon as
they showed their heads cut of the window,
he made them targets for his brich1a;s.
The foreman Of an active uptown engine
company, in this emergency, proposed to
try the effect Of cold water treatment, as
he had heard that shower baths were often
used to subdue very violent maniacs. This
plan being agreed upon as the one promi-
sing success, party went round to the
nearest engne-house, that Of Volunteer No.
l, and brought their machine or the ground.
A full stream Of water was turned upon
the madman, and whether it came with too
much force or gave him nervous shock, be
fell off the ridge, rolled down the roof, and
tumbled down upon the banquette, striking
upon the seat of applied learning. He
was at once taken to the Charity Hospital
in a carriage, and though badly Jared by
the fall, was not seriously hurt.-N. q.
Bee.