The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-09-05
Long and Exciting siege Of n Maniac. Al
Extraordinary Affair.

About ten O'Clock on Sunday night a mad
man climbed up the roof of n one story and
attic grocery at the corner Of Constance and
q Gaiennie streets, and seating himself on the
ridge of the sianting root, beside the chimney,
he commenced singing wild air, TO which he
vigorously kept time by beating with toma-
hawk he had eaken up with him. Such an
traordinary signt attracted 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 surveyed them with most placid indif-
ference from his exalted situation, but paid
no heed to entreaties or threats, until as the
crowd increased in size, and became more
boisterous, his passion seemed to be aroused,
ana loosening the brick. of the chimney, he
very deliberately broke them in pieces on the
ridge os the roof, and hurled them at the peo-
pie below. great scattering took place but
not before lew were struck and brI ised with
tue brlckbats which came with unerring aim
upon those for whom they were intended
After gaining his position with SO much
trouble, the mad man was evidently deter
mined upon maintaining IL, and now perhaps
iaboring under the belief that he was besieged
| by the populace, he kept on cooily looseniDg
bricks from the chimney and breaking them
| into proper size for ammunition with his
tomahawk. Not man, woman or child could
now approach with any distance from MIN
without running the risk of having their
| heads cut open by the missiles, which came
thick and fast from his freDZied arm. All
| night long he kept his position. and SO relent-
I
| that the watchman had to caution p2ssers- by
| to keep under the cave of the house. out OF his
| reach.
| When daylight came. he was even more vigil
| liant than before, and the immense crowd that
| collected frequently got too near him, 60 that
| a number of persons were struck, but not baoiy
hurt This state of affairs was becoming
| quite serious. The maniac had nearly used L p
| the whole chimney in his omsardment of
the neigh Dor hood, and the street was cover
ed with The brickoats, while 10 one could pass
unless by crouching along under the cave OF
| the house. He seemed ureless in his fury, and
answered i'm plorings, commands, and threats
| only by q shower of missiles. Some eight or
| ten policemen en- were on the ground with Mayor
| Monroe, and the question perpiexed all now
| he was 10 be removed. A couple OF officers
had made an attempt to bring him down by
\ getting through the dormant windows. The
| root was so steep they could not have grap-
| pied with the madman without all reiling Oil,
| aud hes ides, as as they showed their
| heads out of the window. he made them tar
gets for his brickbats. The foreman OF an ac-
| tive uptown engine company, IN TINS emer-
| gency, proposed TO try the effect OF cold water
| treatment, as be had heard that shower baths
| were often used to subdue very violent ma
| MACS. This plan being agreed upon as the one
| promising success, q party went round 10 the
| nearest engine house, that of Volunteer No. !,
and brought their machine on the ground. a
| full stream OF wafer was turned upon the
| madman, and whether it came with too II uch
| force gave him a nervous shock, he fell oil the
| ridge, relied down the roof, and tumbied dow
| upon the bang uette, striking upon the seat OF
| applied learning. He was at once taken to the
Charity Hospital in carriage, and though
| badly Jared by the fail, was not seriously y
hurt.-N 0. Bee.