Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1885-06-04
A MEANDERING MANIAC
la Charge of a Wabash Train.

ShlCAuO, OIL dSotllStE
No. 6, On the Wabash, st. Louis & Pa
cific railroad, arrived here to-day one
hour and half late, in charge of mad
man. Out of the twelve or fifteen
men, officers and citizens, who finally
secured him, one officer is dead, shot
through the body, another probably
fatally wounded. Several citizens were
injured, and the lunatic himself lies in
the County hoshital, mortally wound
ed, with three bullets in him. Shortly
before noon to-day, the station police
man at the Wabash, st. Louis & Pa
cific depot, on, Polk street, received the
following despatch:
"CHENoA, ILL.,, May 81.
~ have an insane man on my train,
who has possession of one car. The
police at Kansas City, Jacksonville and
Peoria were all afraid to take him.
Please send tenor twelve policemen out
on No. to takeh when we arrive
in Chibago. They had better come in
citizens clothes. They will have to
look sharp or some one will get hurt.
"PuTNAM, Conductor No. g."
No. 6, which left Kansas City last
night, was due at ESQ p. IN. There
was difficulty in starting out No. l, as
directed in the dispatch. and it was de-
cided to meet the train at the depot.
Officers Casey, Ryan, Murphy, Rowen,
Walsh, Shining, Doherty, Barrett and
keenan,, in uniform, and Smith, Terry,
Amstein, O'Brien and Laughlin, in
citizens clothes, under the command
of Lieutenant Largh, made up the squad
which arrived at the depot ten minutes
before the train was due. The train
being delayed, as was subsequently
learned by Intellectual efforts to capture
the lunatic. The police were forced to
wait more than an hour.
After considerable anxious specula-
ton as to the condition of things on
board mo. g." the officers were finally
anything but reassured by a dispatch
from u suburban station warning them
that the maniac was we'll armed and
would resist desperately. A little later
No. 6 appeared in sight, and the police,
separating so as to form two squads,
awaited her arrivalO on either side of the
tracks. AS the train appeared the
whistle sounded number of warning
notes in quick succession. People
hanging half way out the car windows
were seen to gesticulate wildly to the
crowd.
Before the train had come to stand
still dozen passengers jumped to the
ground and fled, looking back with
blanched faces. Officer Barrett was
the first TO observe the lunatic. Barrett
was standing near the rear end of the
smoking car, and the madman,
With Leveled Revolver,
glared at him from the front platform
of the chair car, the length of one car
distant. Barrett turned half round
and stopped instantly, but too late, a
ball from the lunatic's revolver stuck
him in the side and in five minutes he
was dead. One look at the maniac was
enough to satisfy one that while his
ammunition lasted he would not he
taken alive. Seeing this, the officers,
after removing their wounded comrade,
began fusilade through the windows
of the smoking car, where the madman
had taken refuge. After minute or
two he plunged out onto the platform,
fired q couple of shots into the crowd,
leaped from the train and ..
Dashed Down Fourth Avenue.
Officer Laughlin started in hot pur-
suit, and at him the lunatic fired the
last shot in his weapon, but without
effect. The maniac then stopped and
awaited Laughlin's coming, with
cleaning eyes and frothing mouth.
They clinched, the officer tripped his
prisoner and they both fell, the mad
man meanwhile beating Laughlin
numerically on the head with his re-
volver. The officer was in citizens
and was set upon and terribly.
pounded by an excited colored man,
who mistook the officer for the pris-
oner. The rest of the squad arrived
shortly, and the maniac was secured
and taken, first to a cell and then to