The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1880-07-08
TOO CUNNING BY HALF.

There was profound impression
created in the minds of the good people
Of willie when the tidings got out
that Joe Barberry, the most dangerous
and the most cunning of all the mad
men up at the lunatic asylum, had
managed to evade his keepers and was
at large, Joe, in his mad way, had al
ways been an object of terror to the
visitors. Like the majority of insane
people, he had his lucid intervals, and
In these moments he was sensible
enough. But when the evil mood was
on him he was one of the most terrible
fellows to deal with that could be i'm
agined. He had a peculiar fallacy
which took the shape ofimagining him.
self modern Blue Beard. In other
words, Joe believed that he was invested
with the soul of Blue Beard, and that, in
order to keep up with that historical
personage's supposed character, it was
his duty to cut off as many female heads
as the real Blue Beard had done. His
weakness in this respect was first dis
covered at time when he was courting
one of three sisters. He was an &C.
cepted suitor of the young woman, and
impaired to her, in a moment of con-
fdence, the information that when she
married him she would be the wife of
Blue Beard, and that, in case she should
disobey him and exhibit any curiosity
in household matters, he would decapi-
tate her and marry her sisters in the
order of their ages. This sort of thing,
persisted in finally aroused suspicion,
and Joe was forbidden the house. Then
his fierce lunacy as serted itself. He de-
clared that, married or not, he was
bound to have his sweetheart's head /;
and, indeed, went so far as to burnish
up and sharpen an old cavalry sabre,
with which, one fine day, he made an
attack on the young woman, and really
attempted to carry out his purpose.
Joe was arrested, an investigation was
had, and, as he solemnly persisted in his
luUSullOH W ScNCl bllC JOullB WOLudI .
head from her body at the first favor
able opportunity, it was decided that
the man was insane, and that the public
safety (and especially the young
woman's safety required that he should
he kept confined. These were the cir
cumstances under which Joe Barberry
has been shut up; and as his malady
had increased to that point, during his
three years of confinement, that the
whole female sex became finally in.
cluded in the scope of his Blue Beard
attributes-all women, Joe holding,
having proneness to disobey and to be
curious and inquisitive-it became q
more serious question than ever before
that he should not be afforded an op-
portunity to carry out design which
evidently only needed suitable chance
to ensure an execution.
Joe's views being extensively known
among those who visited the asylum,
the female portion of the visitors were
generally very anxious to see him and
converse with aim on his peculiar
tenets in regard to their sex. This was
n matter Of some difficulty, as joe was
equally anxious to-as he expressed it
"get at 'em and fix 'em." A strict dis
cipline, however, prevailed at the
asylum where Joe was confined, and
visitors were only permitted to crafty
their curiosity in the matter by inspect
Ing him at a short distance (through
iron bars), where he might be seen, with
an air of profound interest and atten-
tion, walking up and down the corri-
dor of his department and immersed in
the perusal of q volume containing tie
"Story of Blue Beard "-of which work
he had half dozen editions Of different
kinds, bound in every material from
Russian and Morocco leather to paper
binding.
From the foregoing (and to revert to
the beginning OF this story Of Joe B Ir-
berry's escape from the toils),a iair idea
of the sensation produced by the knowl-
edge that this lunatic was free to carry
out his unnatural theory in regard to
the sex may be gained. As sheriff of
thecounty in which the townof willie
was situated, it was a part of my
province to see that, by fair means or
foul, he should be caught before he
could DO any damage. In pursuance OF
this duty, l placed men on the watch
in various quarters, and caused placards
10 be posted up in various portions OF
the town, and at the country crossroads