The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1885-10-08

them to be facts. When suffering from
the awful disease he is, indeed, raving
maniac, though never very threatening.
He is very ingenious fellow at all
times, and this is what always made
him a troublesome prisoner.
At night, when the patients in ward
are locked in their rooms, they place
their clothes outside of the door in the
hallway, so that an attendant knows
they are all in their places. This is
always done. On certain night the
attendant of the ward in which Charley
was patient had performed this duty
and retired, feeling confident every
thing was secure and all right. But for
two or three nights previous to that
| Charley had been at work on the heavy
iron bars on his window with file he
had procured omewhere-evidently
| from one of the insane who had the
privilege of the grounds. On the night
in question he completed his work,
filing through one bar and springing
two others so he could get out. But
| there were his clothes outside the door
and his overcoat in the clothes room at
the end of the hallway These he
|
midwinter. With his file be worked
the wood away from the locks in both
doors, got his clothes, overcoat and all,
and soon was tramping through Dayton.
He went direct to the depot and got
on top the last car of the midnight ex-
press, bound for Cincinnati. So thought
full was he that he inquired as to what
stations the train stopped at, and when
it left Hamilton he ran forward to the
first car, and when the conductor
passed through he clambered down off
the top while the train was running
thirty miles or more an hour. and took
! a seat in the warm car, as independ-
emily as if he was the President of the
road. The conductor did not come
through the train again, for Hamilton
was the last stop before reaching Gin
cinnati. and Charley, insane as he was,
seemed to understand that he was safe
inside the, car after it left Hamilton. for
the train, making no stops. could, of
course, not take on any passengers.
That he remained on top the car in the
bitter cold until the train reached this
point is evidence conclusive that he
knew exactly what he was doing.
He reached Cincinnati without any
trouble, went straight to the Gibson
House and registered AS luck would
have it, the next person to register. who
stepped up to the counter not ten
J minutes after he left it, was an acquaint-
ance of his from his home. The name
met his eye, and after speaking to the
clerk he managed to catch sight Of
Charley as he came from the bath
rooms. The friend at once telegraphed
his folks, and they the asylum authori-
ties. The telegram they received was
the first intimation the officials of the
institution had that any one had es.
capped.
II Charley was busy playing billiards
when, at ten o'clock the same morning,
his keeper walked into the hall and
slapped him on the back.
: Hello, Tomr' was Charley's greet
ing. 1--WE got a sucker here" The
, same evening he was again in the
2 asylum, but it amused him for week:
to think how he ''went to Cincinnati
just to play game of billiards." as ht
put it.
If ever man had determined to die
1 come what may, that man was Franci:
-, powerful farmer from Au
glaize County. He was one of the few
! farmers who take a great interest il
T politics, and the first symptoms of in
sanity in his case were noticed after hl
7 was defeated for an office at the polls.
Then followed financial reverses, anC
. finally his mind gave way to the ex.
tent that he was determined on self-de
+ struction. He was sent to this asylum
and placed with the other unfortunate:
suffering from suicidal mania. He wa.
not by any means a dangerous man
but an eye had to be kept on him al
t the time to keep him from destroying
his own life in one way or another.
Tom. a young but powerful man, wa.
his keeper. Besides Francis there wer,
tweDty-four other maniacs in the ward
and one can easily imagine what mic,
time an attendant must have watching
and caring for these poor people. Ever
keeper must shave his patients at statet
intervals, and one day when Tom hat
one of his subjects in the chair he com
: planned of the razor scratching him
: whereupon Tom laid it on the window
sill and got out another one While h,
was stropping it he noticed Franci
standing in the door. looking furtively
into the room. Before he could thinl
, the maniac bounded by him and hat
the open razor which Tom had laid OF
the window-sill in his hand. It was n,
time for thought, but action was wha
was needed. Turning quickly, Ton
grasped the hand in which the mania,
, held the razor, while he in turn, equal,
, on the alert, grasped Tom by the wris
, of the hand in which he held the opel
razor with which he had been beatins
: the strop.
LET gor yelled Tom.
''Let 60 yourself!' retorted tn,
maniac, glaring sayagely at the attend
, ant.
The next instant began a battle fo
life. The two men pushed, tugged anc
twisted, but neither could be forced t.
loosen his hold on the others wrist
The third person sat quietly in his chai
as unconcerned as if nothing unusua
was going on. Finally the insane maj
got his feet entangled in an old Goa
living nm tho Ara,. xuhar tho Eoa.,o,