The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1886-08-04
A NIGHT OF HORROR.
Battling with NIaniacs Freed i'm am
AsyIunr.


Asylum.
The chief sufferer of that terrible night,
though dead these ten years, was a lifelong
Acquaintance of my father, to whom he re-
lated this crisis of his life shortly after its
occurrence. The man in question, Mr.. Cald-
we'll, was then man of family, ~ years
old, with hair as black as the raven g wings
He held the position of warden of State
Insane Asylum, place filed with patients
of every degree of insanity, from the raving
maniac to tho babbling idiot. One cold
evening in December, 1857, an officer drove
out to the long, low, brick building, and
placed in the keepers charge a middle-aged
lady, privately telling him that, though at
times apparently sane, as she appeared
then, she was really devil incarnate, and
was not to be trusted for an instant. The keep
er took the lady, and placed her in a strong
cell in spite of her earnest protestations of
sanity, the invariable characteristic of per-
sons similarly affected. Seeing that she was
secure and well provided for he returned to
his freside and passed the remainder of the
afternoon laughing and talking with his
wife and three little children. At 6 o'clock
the old colored mistress, in whom every
confidence was placed, began to mako the
round of the cells to minister to the wants
of the inmates, Unfortunately she had not
been cautioned in regard to the new inmate
of cell IS. Nearing the room she heard
lamentations of the most pitiful kind, and
WAS told between smothered sobs that the
inmate was dying for little fresh air,
and for Gods sake to let her draw one pure
BREATH" Moved by such entreaty the old
woman cautiously unlocked the door and
and opened it little. Instantly she was
seized by the throat, jerked into the CELL
,hoked and beaten until apparently dead,
robbed of her keys and locked in by the
stranger, who now, by her foaming mouth
and savage expression, showed tho real
demon. Gloating over her successful treach-
ery, she moved noiselessly among the cells,
unlocking them and liberating the fendish
inmates, who, instinctively catching her
iesign, with death-like silence crept into
the dimly lighted hall and stood eagerly
watching her action. When she had liber.
ated forty or fifty of those worse thar
savage brutes she led them along the upper
hall to the head of the stairway where she
stopped as if puzzled.
While all this was going on the unsus-
pecting warden was enjoying the peace and
comfort of his cheerfulj Preside. He sat
tondling his youngest child on his knee,
strolsing his curls and patting his rosy
cheeks, while the elder ones, chubby boy
and fair-haired girl, were scrambling for
| place on the unoccupied knee. Suddenly
he rose to his feet, and, hurriedly placing
the little one in its mothers arms, stood
intently listening, while deadly pallor
oyer-spread his face. He quickly double
locked and barred the spikened oaken door,
md with his revolver in one hand and an
Ak in the other, stood anxiously waiting.
The maniacs moved slowly and with as
little noise as possible till they reached the
warlen's door, when, suddenly grasping
the knob they turned it quickly and threw
themselves violently against it several times.
Finding it secure their fury knew no bounds.
Some dashed madly at the wall, others beat
the spiked door with their clinched fists,
while some of the more vicious and cunning
secure long beam which they rammed
against the door. This action was hailed
with the widest cheers. All made way for
this more promising venture, and as ons
fell exhausted another would spring to his
place. Finding their utmost endeavors,
however, unavailing to burst open the door,
they turned the beam against the brick
wall, which, after prolonged hammering,
began to crumble As brick by brick was
displaced they manifested their bloodthirsty
eagerness by redoubled yells and more des-
| perate efforts.
Meantime, behind the warden on the
floor knelt his wife, imposing Heaven for
deliverance; before him struggled raving
band of demons, with nothing but fast
| crumbling brick wall between. With q
face of marble he stood watching the place
where the beam was doing its work. Pres
emily the beam shot through the wall, md
was instantly drawn back with mad shrek
| Of victory. One of the most daring of the
band appeared in the opening and leered
his pistol to the madman's face, the warden
fired. The mob jerked back the wounded
man, and another Immediately appeared,
striving to force his way through the open.
ing. He was dispatched in the same man
ner, and after him third and o fourth.
The demons had enough cunning left to see
the futility of oil this without larger open
ing. So again they seized and continued
thoir pounding.
But when their object is almost accom-
plished they are suddenly interrupted by
the appearance of the militia on the scene.
There is instantly complete lull nothing
can be heard but the regular tramp of the
soldiers as they file into the hall. The
maniacs have either scuttled back to their
dens or are laying exhausted before the
opening they have made.
| The militia enter the warden's room and
find him limp and motionless on the floor.
His features are withered and pale, and his
pnce raven black hair as white as snow.
| >--sSs-.>--