Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1879-06-13
oEmE.TEp AND DESPERATE.
. Crazy Man Jumps from a Dakota
Southern Train at Gayille and
Attempts to Escape from I'm
aginary Dangers.

d8ttAIy Odu9etSs
His Determinsa Attempt to Commit Su
81 eide BY Repeatedly PlunEing .
Knife Inte His Breast.
Among the passengers who boarded Il
Dakota Southern train at Sioux City yests
day was . man about thirty or thirty-6,
Year, Of age. Shortly after entering = ca
he inquired Of an enploye Of the train
there was . priest on board, saying that b
was going to die. On being informed tbs
1 there was co priest on the trai1
: he inquired IF the person first addresse
"Do you think I Am going to die!" and bt
Ing assured In the negative. and informed
that he looked healthy and strong ant
showed 10 sign Of speedy dissolution. b
replied "All right" and appeared satisfied
Just before the train reached Gayville, and
q the whistle was announcing the approach
to the station, the men spanE of the train
and ran over the wide. level prairie toward
the Missouri river with all the speed he
was capable. In his fight he would fire.
quently fall down, but would Immediately
regain his feet and make still greater efforts
to increase his speed apparently to escape
from some imaginary pursuers. On reach.
ing the station Conductor Wright inform
cd Constable j. E. Hardin of the circum-
stances. who Immediately mounted q horse
and taking with him Greenwsy Hsggin,
whe was also mounted, started in pur-
suit of the fleeing man, who had BY this
time reached q distance of some two miles
from the station. After q rapid ride the
pursuers approached the runaway, who ap
peared to be growing exhausted from his
long and headlonE race. As soon as he
saw that he was pursued he threw off his
coat. and commenced striking himself In
the breast with his right hand, at the same
time continuing to run. but his pace grad
uslly slackened and finally he fell down or
sat down upon the ground. On reaching
the spot where be threw off his coat and
commenced striking himself in the breast
the constable ana his companion found a
large pool Of blood upon the ground, and
from that point to where the man was re-
clin,ng the ground over which he ran was
spattered with blood. Upon coming up to
him they found that he had repeatedly
stabbed himself in the left breast with q
small pocket knife, there being six distinct
wounds in his breast. some of them Cd
pearing as if the knife had entered them
more than once. Mr.. Hardin procured the
assistance of Messrs. Abbott, Lamot end
VIM. Andre. living in the neighborhood,
and placing the wounded man 10 a wagon
conveyed him TO Gayville aud placed him
In Bagstad's hstel. Here his wounds were
more closely examined, and they were
found to be dangerous and in all probability
fatal. One penetrated the lungs, and with
every breath he drew the blood would squirt
fcem the wound. He informed those who
had him 10 charge that his name was Frank
Zach, that he was from Milwaukee, where
be worked in . trunk factory. and that he
was on his way to visit his brother, Charles
Zach. who resides al Tabor ia Bon Homme
county He wrote his name on q piece OF
paper, and also q message of a few words
in Bohemian to his brother, which is in
terpreted my last good bye to my broth
Or" He also stated that the cause of his
trouble was a criminal intimacy with a
widow in Milwaukee; that he had been ar.
rested for this and sentenced to ten years
imprisonment; that he escaped and was on
his way to see his brother. He also stated
that they were going to lynch him in Mil
waukee, and that a crowd Of thirty womer
had procured a rope and . cart for thst pur
pose; and that it was upon seeing thes'
preparations that he escaped and fled.
As sooa as he obtained this information
Constable Hardin procured . hand car an
and with the assistance Of Patrick Hennifn
Dennis Murphy and two Black Killers, t
propel the machine he came to Ysnkto,
for medical assistance, making the trif
twelve miles, in less than an hour, reach
ing Yanktcn at about II o'clock last nigh,
He procured the assistance of DR.. Etter
with whom he Immediately returned
GayYille.
A messenger was dispatched from Yank
ton this morning to inform his brother q
Tabor.
Frank Zach had a good outfit of clothip
and baggage, was we'll clad and had the q,
pearance of q man In good circumstance,
Mr.. Hardin had bis pocket book, whicl
was we'll filled with money. but badly 50
urated With blood from the wounds in hi
body made in his efforts at self destruction
Since the foregoing was written, NJ
Hardin and DR.. Etter have returned
Yankton, and from the former we learn
Flew additional particulars of the singul,
affair.
:. Upon arriving At Gayville and exami
ing lacks wounds, DR.. Etter discovered