Stevens County tribune. (Morris, Minn.) 1877-1880, 1878-10-24
KILLED BY A CRAZY NEGRO.
New York World.

Richard P. Harrison, an attendant at the |
New York city asylum for the insane on
Wards Island, was killed on Sunday morn
ing by VIM. Scott, a negro inmate OF the IN
stitution. Word was sent to the coroner's
office yesterday and Coroner Woltman took
charge of the case.
Harrison, with three other attendants, was
in charge of Ward Island, containing sixty
eight 'working patients" or patients trusted
to do outdoor or other labor. These patients
sleep in three dormitories, on small cots
scattered about the irregular rooms. At night
they are looked at from
time to time by single attendant.
and at o'clock in the morning are reused
for the days work. At that hour the four
day attendants take charge. During Satur-
day night preceding Scott, who slept in the
central dormitory, had had some sort OF
quarrel with German patient IN the same
room, and was slightly cut on the side OF the
head. The case was reported by the night
attendant to the physician in charge, and
Scott for the remainder of the night was
given separate room. He rose with the
others and mingled with them while they
were dressing. Harrison was busy making
up the beds in one of the dormitories, when
Scott came in, carrying his trousers in his
hand. Harrison told him to put them on
without delay, and received only push In
response. He continued at his work at the
bed, while his assistant, a mild lunatlc, went
out of the room across the hall to the wash
room to call another attendant. This left
Harrison and Scott alone in the room. The
negro, while the attendants back was turned.
struck him on the head with heavy earth
enware vessel, stunning him, and then fell
on him and showered blow after blow on his
! head. Mangam, another attendant, hurried
| in to find HARRISON lying insensible across
the cot, while within a few feet of him,
standing by in the most careless sort of a
way, was Scott, with his weapon still in his
han 1. Scott offered no resistance, and being
| commanded left the room jabbering lrrele-
vanity. Harrison's skull was horribly frac-
| tured-powdered almost-and from the ar
teries of the neck his blood was spoutlng.
| The wall twelve feet away was stained with
it and the floor slippery. The man died In
| the afternoon. He leaves widow, two sons
and three daughters. One of the sons is a
clerk in a steamship Office, while the second
has begun practice as lawyer after course
of study in Judge Ed runds' office. Harri-
son was over fifty, and was for many years a
manufacturer of soda water. He mad been
an attendant at the asylum for three months.
|
features and great vacant eyes, looking from
i between high cheek bones. An affection OF
the eyes adds to his unsightllness. All that
is known of him in the hospital is that he is
native of the United States, 40 years of
age, and had been for some years cook on
United States war vessels. His mania is the
result of excessive drinking. He was ad-
mitted to the hospital on the 18th of July,
1875. On July 3, 1876, he was taken away
as cured by woman said to be his wife. He
remained out until August II, 1877, when he
returned and has since remained under
treatment. He has been assigned to
work in the kitchen. He was par
ticularly polite in his manner to superiors
and yesterday, while gibbering in straight
| jacket under lock and key, was full of new
phrases, ratified off without sense or Sc
quence. He does not refer to the murder
GUS assault, and it is the opinion of the med
ical superintendent that he has no recnllec
ton of it. He is visited occasionally by rel
atives. the last one to see him being his
daughter, on the 9Th OF Angus. For some
time past he has not worked in the kitchen
eing in one of his periods of excitement.
He has had several of them, and at times is
relieved from regular work and put with one
of the harm ess gangs. He was not looked
upon as a safe patient, but no record of any
tendency towards homicidal mania had been
| made against him.
| This is the first time so serious an assault
has been made upon an attendant, though
attacks are of frequent occurrence, and two
keepers are now on the sick list-one with s
broken finger and another with a dislocateC
ankle-the result of assaults by patients