Daily Republican., 1881-07-12
A CRAZED MANS TERROR.
PURSUED BY IMAGINARY NEE.
DEREkS HE OROwNS HIMSELF.
Driven to Desperation by Forgery
and Crazed by Strong Drink.
"A Shocking Case.

ana CfaZeO ny strong Drink.
"A Shocking Case.
A man, wild eyed and evidently ou
of his mind, ran out the track of the
Philadelphia, Wilmington < Baltimore
railroad last evening at the top of his
speed. He swung his straw hat in his
hand as he ran and constantly looked
behind him as if pursurers were on his
track. To all appearances he was la.
boring under the most intense excite
ment.
AS he was passing the signal station
at the west end freight yard one
of the men stopped him. He drew
back as II to strike the man, and then
ran on. "Whats the matter with you?"
one of the men called. Then he stopped
a minute and cried. "a man is..chas-
ing me with pistol and is going to
kill me. Don't tell him you saw lne 20
this way" AS he concluded the re-
mark he resumed his hurried pace as if
pursued by thousand demons and was
soon lost to view it the gathering gloom,
for it had just, commenced to get dark.
About half mile further out the
track, night switchman James Lee saw
the man running past few minutes
later, and asked him what he was run
ming tor. To him he told the same tale
of the men chasing him with the pistol,
and asked him not to tell he had seen
him, and resumed his rapid course. He
went on out the road to Delaware juno
ton and continued to follow the p, w.
Il Il. track for few hundred yards to
" Powder Crossings" beyond the sta
ton. Here he left the railroad and
took to the field on the right hand side,
and ran down toward the farm house of
Mr.. George NJ. Bramble, which is situ-
ated right on the edge of the Christiana
creek and about $50 yards above the
Delaware railroad bridge,
BY tais time it was quarter of eight
O'Clock. Farmer Bramhle had finished
his days work. and was putting some
tools away in the granary. He had
been engaged in making a watering
trough. His attention had been at
tracted by a man getting over fence
several rods away from the house,
shouting as he did so several times in a
loud and excited voice, "This won t
do" The next moment the man ran up to
Mr.. Bramble and after talking wildly
and eXcitedly for a moment or two ran
into the creek and was drowned. What
took place at Mr.. Bramble's cln best be
told in the farmers own language, as
he related to a reporter this morning.
Said he 81 was just putting away
the tools when the man jumped the
yard fence and ran up all excited and
scared like. He cried in a frightened
tone. Save me, save me a mans
chasing me with a pistol and is going
to kill me. | forged note on him, and
be IS going to shoot me. Save me from
him. He was So excited and frightened
that he really made me think his story
was true and man was after him for
forging note. So | told him he
ought'nt TO forge note, because ! don't
60 in to protect those kind of people. Il
must do something to get away, he
shouted almost beside himscf.with fear
apparently, and then made break for
the cellar as if to hide in there. | told
him not to go in there and then he ran
down to the edge Of the river"
Mr.. Bramble's house is right on the
edge of the water and at this
juncture he pointed to Il path in the tall
reeds and wild oats made by sone one
through them to get to the WA
ter. "'rhat's where he ran through,
SIR" he continued, "and at first
thought he was going to hide among the
reeds. But he ran right into the water
and started to swim. Then began to
think that he must be ont Of his mind
and cried for him to come back. re-
peated this several times, but he would
not mind me. He started to swim, as
said, making for the opposite shore,
swimming on his back as you or |
would have done. 1t was low water
and the tide was at young flood. tt
carried him up stream and he sunk be-
fore help could reach him. | suppose
his clothes carried him down. He dis
about 20 feet from the shore
in water about feet deep"
Jacob Adams the bridge tender, te!c-
phoned word Of the accident into the
city at late hour last night. Some
effort will be made to-day, to recover
the body.
The unfortunate man was of heavy |
build and not tall. He had black hair
and mustache, but no whiSkerS. He
had straw hat, light pants and blue
,oat, and looked to be abont 80 years OF
,ge. Who he is no one seems to know.
It is likely that he is u resident of Will
ningtOn, hut there was some talk to
he effect that he was put off the train
eaving here at $50 o'clock, when the
rain was opposite Hsrlan Il Hollings-
vorth's yards. This could no traced
Up this morning.
1t is the opinion OF all who saw
lin that he was out of his mind, and
everal think he was laboring Under an
ttack of the delerium tremens. 1t is
together likely that he has had busi-
less reverses which have rreyed upon
lis mind, and his story about the tor
cry may be true one.