The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1877-05-02
SALUTED BY SATAN.
An Englishman's Remarkable Walk
Under the Influence OF Religious
London Telegraph

[London Telegraph
At the Uxbridge petty sessions, James
Rockies, So, described a tailor, living at
No. 9 Upper North street, Caledonian road
Islington, was charged with being found
wandering, suffering from religious mania,
and not being under proper control. About
midnight on Sunday Police Constable
at Hillir gdon heath and saw the
prisoner walking toward London in a nude
state. He stopped him and took him back
to Uxbridge, distance of two miles. at
the police station the prisoner told the Off
Ger on duty that he was released from Col
ney Hatch asylum about fortnight previ-
ously, and that on Sunday he resolved upon
attending mission meeting at Exeter. He
walked from London as far as Gerrards
cross. and was there met by the devil. The
devil looked into his eyes to see if be was the
right man, and he (prisoner) then remem-
bered he had some thing to confess He had,
however, forgotten the words he should re
peat, and the only way he thought he
could free himself from the evil one
was by walking backward for a mile
naked He accordingly N L e ssed himself
and, leaving his clothes in the road, walked
backward. After proceeding about a mile
in this way. he returned for his clothes but
could not find them, and consequently de
termined to walk back to London. The dis
lance from Gerrard's cross to Hillingdon
heath is six and a half miles and the man
no doubt passed through the High street,
Uxbridge, which is three-quarters of a mile
in length. His clothing and watch and
chain were found at Gerrard's cross He re-
GREETED having left them behind, because he
felt extremely cold without them. He
was subsequently seen by Mr.. Roberts,
the police divisional surgeon, who pro-
nounced him to be insane In reply to DR..
A. 4bo Oh
was trying to do what Jesus Christ did 800
years ago. The Lord, he believed, went on a
mission from London to Liverpool, and he
tried to walk from London to Exeter. When
at Gerrard's cross he was under the impress
sion that he was near Slough, and, as be was
wet and footsore, he thought of staying
there all night. One of the punishments
adopted by the Roman Catholic church for
persons who did not confess sin was to
make them walk mile the reverse way but
he did not carry ii out properly.
Inspector Eames said he had telegraphed
to the address given, but had not received
an answer. The magistrates ordered the
prisoner to be removed to the union work
house at Hillingdon. Late in the day the
prisoners wife and daughter, very respecta-
BILE looking persons, attended the court and
explained that he left home at IL O'clock on
the previous morning. He had been in
Conley Hatch asylum for fifteen months
and was released from that institu-
ton fortnight since for a
month on trial. Mrs. Rockies
said it was impossible for her to keep him
under proper control. Prisoner asked his
wife if the houses in Upper North street,
Islington, were still in existence; his inn
preston was that they had fallen through a
rift in the earth. The magistrates decided
that he should be detained at the workhouse
until the authorities at Conley Hatch had
been communicated with.