The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-12-24
Fwtner Ktrtracts from Note-book.

The vehicle was gig. We have driven
to Plaskerton, where he has stopped at an
inn. He is now in the stables looking after
the horse. j have despatched note TO the
police station by waiter in his absence.
Since his arrival he has been nervous and
excited ] fear his suspicious are reused.
When he returns from looking after the horse,
/ shall effect his capture, whether the police
arrive or not"
TIE Statement Of Charles Masters. NJ d.
81 am one of the medical officers of the
Lunatic Asylum at Plaskerton. had long
given my attention to the phenomena of
mental diseases indeed, 1 had SO over
exhausted my strength in pursuing the study
of mania, especially in the very atmosphere
of the disorder, that it became necessary for
me to go away for twelve months for change
of air.
Gas was on my way back to my duties, /
met at the Puddledock Station an old fellow
student at st. Panurges Hospital. We had
not met for years, and fell into long pro-
fessional chat. remember relating to him
some of my experiences at Plaskerton, among
others, curious case which happened not
long after l became medical officer there. A
patient had escaped. We were most anxious
to recapture him without publicity. Should
the police have heard of his escape, the case
would have got into the papers and consider
able harm would have been done to the repu-
tation of the Asylum, and the character of its
officers. We went in every direction to look
for him, and at last we found him among
some strolling players, whom he had joined,
and who did not discover that he was mad.
We took him. He threatened to strike me,
but was too quick for him, and we captured
him. Then he got it into his head that we
had done him a serious injury in the struggle,
and nothing would satisfy him but that we
must telegraph to London for the first medi-
cal assistance. To humor him we pretended
to do SO, describing him as having received a
cut across the head, exposing the brain and
laying the cheek open. Of course the clerk
merely pretended to send off the message,
and we eventually got our patient safely into
the asylum again. In time he completely re-
covered, and was discharged, the last l heard
of him being that he had gone to London to
| look for some employment.
Gas | was telling this anecdote noise be-
| hind us attracted our attention. We saw
an odd-looking person close behind us at the
waiting-room window. His antics were so
extraordinary that / could not help saying
that thought he was mad. I was going to
stop at Biborough, en- route for Plaskerton to
| do some business. The eccentric stranger
| got into the same carriage with me. He
behaved in so strange a manner that l felt
| assured of his insanity even before we got to
| Biborough, where he got out, and declared
that be believed he was going in the opposite
direction to Mudclod. was now so strongly
| convinced of his madness that determined
| to keep an eye upon him. and, if necessary
| secure him. and take him to the asylum
| until his friends could be communicated
| with.
''Io my intense amusement found he had
mania for assuming various disguises. He
was evidently crazy actor, and / learnt from
| the landlord to whom | was well-kuown, that
| he had told him some cock -and-bull story
about being detective. / kept my eye on
him, until / think he began to be alarmed,
for he dressed himself up as a woman; and
leaving his luggage at the inn, he went off
without paying his bill, and tried to get away
by train. l however followed him, and by
humoring him, and asserting to all he said, 1
| got his confidence. To my surprise / found
| he was going to Plaskerton. | thought it not
impossible that he was some patient who had
been received during my wear of absence, and
discharged not sufficiently cured, and that
with the folly, which so often takes the place
of the proverbial cunning, of madness, he
was actually running into the jaws of the
| hon. had determined to follow him where
ever he went and to obtain aid to secure him
at the earliest opportunity, but on learning
his, or rather her, destination (for, as 1 have
| said, he was dressed as q woman), offered
him lift in gig which l easily procured
from one of the farmhouses, near dorchester
Station. When we got to Plaskerton, under
pretense of seeing to the horse I slipped out
and sent to the asylum for q couple of
keepers"
| PART II-MIsAPPREHENsIoN
The EDidence Of William jenkins, Constable.
81 am chief constable of Plaskerton. From
information / received in the shape of a note,
signed 'T. Mole, went to the Golden Lion,
in Plaskerton. That note stated that the
writer was in company with Travers who
was suspected to be the Frogleigh murderer,
and for whom the police were looking. l was
aware at the time that the Frogleigh murder,
as it was called, had been explained, but |
went to see what the writer meant.
| From information / received on reaching
the Golden Lion-that is to say, from the
sound of heavy thumps on the floor, and loud
cries, proceeded TO the coffee-room, where
l found two parties struggling violently, one
OF them being DR.. Masters, of the Asylum.
AS l came in at one door two keepers came in
at the other. Seize him.! cries Mole; 'he s
the man as done it, Secure him. cries the
doctor; hes an escaped lunatic!' The
keepers were about to secure Mr.. Mole, but
considering that an interference with the pre-
negatives of the police and the liberty of the
subject, / interfered. Explanations ensued,
and by my mediation matters were brought
to an amicable and satisfactory arrangement,
including a bowl of punch and likewise con-
sideration for lost time to the keepers. l re-
fused such in my capacity of policeman, but
as private individual accepted solid recog,
milton of my judicious bringing of matters
to pleasant issue.
THE Testimony of Benjamin Bun9, Innke6per