The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1871-11-02
A NIGHT WITH A MANIAC.
BY 4 YOUNG SURGEON.

The maniac was a giant. He had bro
ken his heavy chains as Samson broke the
withes-had torn open the door of the
: cell-torn the keeper, literally, in pieces
burst open the door-killed the watch
man, with a heavy iron bar he wrcnched
from the door-and escaped with his for
midabie weapon into the city. The whole
place was aghast at the news and we
students at the hospital and dissecting
room, who were connected with the asy-
lum, had to nerve ourselves to help cap
ture the escaped wild beast.
| had gone to the dissecting room alone
and was about to commence using the
knife on a subject. There was storm
raging, and with a low sob the wind
swelled through the long aisle of forest
trees, and flashed with the gathered
force OF an ocean wave against the dead
house. simultaneously, a hand struck
the light door, and the yell of maniac
rang through and through my brain.
Aboye the door, through the small
ventlator, the face of the mailman aad
murderer peered down at me.
'Ah, hai L have caught you at last
-here-and alone. | have been waiting
for you. You took me once, didn't you?
Ia, ha Let me in.
The GOODNESS OF imminent peril brought
my powers to action. [ held his eye an
instant but it was evident he was too
wild for that his blood was up, and it
roved with eager ferocity through the
room and over the frail walls. With the
light bound Of leopard, L gained the
door, and shot the double bolt A gleam
of rage darted from his eye; but he
laughed, "Ha, ha You think that will
keep me out p
He leaped to the ground. In an in
slant the light was out.
''Wait, | cried, | have weapon in
my hand keen as raisor. 1t is poisoned
by the dead body [ have been working
on. Burst the door, and Il plunge it in
your heart. lift but touch you, you are
dead man. You may kill me, but I'll
kill you as certain as there is God"
The swarthy giant shook the door until
Its hinges creaked and groaned beneath
his hand. Then ughing again low to
himself, muttered, Fool, I Il outwit you
yet!
And stole off lii the darkness. I heard
him, for an instant, pressing against the
wall OF the building, and it swayed and
bent inward with the weight. Then 81
lence. The din OF my pulses made thun-
der In my ears, as [ tried to hear his
stealing tread, and the soobing wind rose
anew with L wild Shrek, making my eff
forts fruitIess.
A thousand times l heard his low, dew
Hsh murderous laugh. y thousand times
/ felt his brawny strength against the
door, and saw his wild face look down at
me through the gloom but still he did
not come. | tried to think he had aban-
doned the design, and skunk off discour
aged; but | knew it was not sol knew
T. % aronohIpn in a.
watch, to spring on NE when [ passed.
Could l stay there all night? No;
certainly not. An hour more, and Harry
Leigh (my young wlfe's brother) would
come to seek me-cOme unconscious of
the danger, until bloodhound at his
throat would choke the brave young life
down there for ever.
| listened, in the intervals of the now
ftful storm, to hear if he was breathing
near me. | waited for the next hull. 1t
came-that deep hush that foilowes the
gnsty wind. | put my soul in the sense
of hearing, but no human shadow of
sound greeted 1t.
When the storm swel:ed again, [ drew
the bolt, and looked into the night;
black pail hung over the earth and sky.
had as good chance to pass him In the
obscuricy as he to catch me. With nv
bone of a negro to fell him with, If [
mast, drew off my shoes, and stepped
out into the darkness. A sudden whirl
OF the tempest almost took me off my
feet, and brick, dislodged from one of
the chimneys, grazed my head In its
passage, broke in half on the pavement.
With bated breath, aud step like the
tread of a panther seeming his prey, L
parted the thick darkness and turned nv
lace towards the hospital. He might be
either here-at any step along the pas
sage-or hid In the angle OF the wall at
the door through which | must enter.
This seemed most probable but there
was another door known only to the doc
tors
/ thought | would elude him. With
Infinite caution | began to scale the high
wall, dreading horribly lest some sudden
break in the SKY might reveal me to the
wild eyes that watched for me-but no.
Safely passing the summit, [ threw my
leg over for the descent, and felt my foot
seized. 1t was but the climbing tendrill
ola wild vine. skirting the wall. Grasp
ing my knife in my right hand, | crewpt
along the bushes for fifty yards, then
struck across the lawn for the side en-
trance. The darkness perplexed me, but
thought l was steering straight. Sud
denly my foot struck bricks. What was
this +? L tried to recoleet. There was no
pavement round that part of the hos
pital.
pushed on uncertainty; and feeling
weight in the air, put out my hand 20
grope for some clue to my whereabouts
/ was in an ailey-hauked with stone
walls, far above my head. [ gave sud-
den turn. In an instant | knew was in