Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1885-09-10
A MADMAN WITH A sCYTHE.

A tall, Slightly built man with gray chin
whiskers got off Forth avenue car at the
corner of Twenty-eighth street Saturday
night His shirt was crumpled and soiled
and his soft slouch hat was mud stained. He
held scythe in his right hand, whose long
curved edged glitteled in the gaslight, Half
a dozen people paused when the stranger
with his scythe. Some one in the crowd
shouted:
"Get an officer and have him arrested"
The man still moved down sections ofat-
mosphere and appeared unconcerned. A
cabman named Williams got down from his
box and approached him. Williams struck
the scythe with the butt end ofhis whip, but
did not knock it from the mans grasp. The
claimants attack was the signal for a violent
outbreak Oh the part of the madman. He
drew his fingers along the clear, white edge,
and, swinging the murderous weapon above
his head, dashed into the crowd. There
were fully 200 people on the block at the
time, and they fed towards Twenty ninth
street. The mailman shouted hysterically ::
"I will kill them all. am going to Kill
them ALL" and ran after the frightened
men and boys. Fifty people had gathered
in therear. At the corner Of Twenty ninth
street half dozen men were close at his
heels. He suddenly turned and shouted:
II can kill them all. am going to kill
John L. Sullivan and all the rest of them"
Again the clean white scythe glistened
and the madman dashed among the people.
They fell to right and left and the lunatic
passed between them. Crowds had collect
ed on the opposite side of the thoroughfare
and shouted all sorts of advice to the fright
ened people in the Railways.
Across the street ran the lunatic. and the
beople there fled in terror An agile young
fellow attempted to trip him up, and anoth-
er tried to catch him around the neck.
These devices were, however, futile, and
the cries of "Police!' were heard on all
sides.
The lunatc was probably not on the
block more than ten minutes all together,
but the panic he created drew people from
all over. Before the officer arrived an
other cahman attacked him. He held a
heavy whip in his hand, and his first blow
fell on the hand clutching the scythe.
The lunatic's eyes bulged in their sock
cts, and with wild shrek he raa at his assail-
ant. The cabman met him firmly and battered
him over the head and shoulders with his whip
until the mailman at length drove him into a hall
way for refuge The man with the scytho danced
up and down on the pavement. His attention
was turned away for second, and the cabman
darted out, aud with we'll aimed blow knocked
the scythe from his hand. The cabman bent to
pick it up, but the lunatic was too quick for him.
He caught it by the edge and attempted to jab
the wooden handle down the cabman's throat. At
this juncture Officer Brownie, of the Twenty
first Precinct swung his club, and sent the scythe
spinning in the air. Then he caught the lunatic
by the collar and shook him. At the station
house the prisoner, after much questioning, said
that his name was Patrick Clarkson, and that he
was gardener living at No. 500 Second avenue.
Sergeant Fitzgerald committed him on the charge
of being disorderly person. After his hands,
which cut, had been bound up three
cornered file was found in his pocket.-Ncw York
World.