Wichita eagle., 1888-04-13
GUARD CRAZED.
JOHN SHARP KEPT FOR EIGHTEEN
HOURS UNDER CONTROL OF
CRAZY MEN
And Becomes a Raving Maniac From
the Terrible 0rdeal-Horse Thieves
Crops in the Southwest.

| ing. On the train with MIN was NIdL
whose condition excited the greatest com
miseration from all the passengers. His
actions showed plainly that he was raw
ing maniac. He had TO be tied down, both
hands and feet, to the seat. From the
man in charge. Pat Maloney, Mr.. Van
Denberg learned the strange and interest
ing story of how he came TO his present
condition.
1T was" said Mr.. Van Denburg. "a
strange and terrible effect of fright which
had occurred near Blue Grass, No Mans
Land, April l. A Mr.. Stanley, the post
master of Blue Grass, and another man
had become demented, it is supposed, from
! fright by vigilant committees who are
now securing that country for horse
thieves They took possession OF farm
house and proceeded to smash up every
thing and to hold possession in spite of
every effort that could be used to GUST
them.
On Saturday. John Sharp, a settler who
/ had had some experience in handling said
| people boldly entered the house in the
| hopes of quoting the two men, No sooner
! had he gotten within than the two de
mented men covered him with revolvers
and for eighteen hours held him prisoner.
! They compelled him to dance for hours
while they in maniacal glee stood by, pis
| -ols in hands to enforce their bidding.
| Then they would require other actions
from him; anything and everything that
the muddled brain of the crazy
men could conjure up. For
hours he remained in this
house alone but at last the settlers com
menced to come from the neighborhood
and after he had been under this terrible
ordeal for eighteen hours they had arrived
in sufficient force to enter the house and
overpower the two maniacal captors and
tormentors. This ordeal, however had
been so long continued and was such a
terrible strain upon Mr. Sharp's mind that
when rescued he, too, was but raving
maniac His mind seemed entire
ly gone, though formerly he
was "A man of strong mind,
used to dealing with insane people are
familiar with their curses and threats,
He was taken to Englewood, Kan, in a
wagon, with hands and feet tied. There
the citizens raised funds to send his half
crazed wife and five little ones to their rel
atiyes near PleasantOn, Lane county. Mr.
| Malone, an old acquaintance, took him IN
charge and was coming east yesterday over
the Mulvane extension to place him in an
asylum.
He is about 40 years of age, and a
a strong muscular man. The terrible
calamity appears to have likewise affected
the mind of his wife ana she too manifests
symptoms of mind affection"
When Mr.. NanDeuberg was asked re-
garding the hanging of the horse tieves by
the vigilance committee he gave the par
ticulaTs of the affair, a report OF which
was sent to the EAGLE shortly after its oc-
| cUrrence.
''In the past two weeks he said, IAN
organized band of horse thieves have been
operating in Clark county east OF no
Mans Lands and the Indian Territory
running and stealing stock from Kansas
down into No Mans Land, and then steal
| ing horses and running them back to
| Kansas. Last week the citizens Of the
vicinity of Ashland, Englewood and the
settlers of No Mans Land formed them
selves into a cooperative vigilant com
mittee to break up the gang
and proceeded to raid their stronghold.
In the southwestern part of No Mans
Land on Saturday, the It'll inst, they cap
tured two notorious horse thieves of the
! Chitwood gang, and one George Mont
gomerv The latter had in his possession
four stolen horses. The thieves were taken
to Neutral City where the vigilants as
sembled on Sunday, the Sth, and strung
up Montgomery in the presence of seventy
five or one hundred men. He was hung to
a pole projecting from a shanty. He made
a full confession as to VINO composed the
-l,.,,., -+-lo, ant nd
other particulars. The other two men
were released upon promises to return a
certain amount of stolen stock. They
were before being released required to put
a number of good horses a a guaranteed OF
good faith The vigilants then
started for the strongholds Of
the thieves in body, vowing
vengeance upon the miserable wretches.
At last account they were moving upon
the thieves rendezvous where We're kept
most of the stolen stock. A hard and
bloody encounter is expected when they
meet The thieves are strongly barricaded
and the settlers are equally determined
and well armed. All the law-abiding peo-
pie in No Mans Land, and there are many
of them, are acting heartily in accord with
the people of Clark county, in breaking UP
this gang. and they willno doubt succeed. y
The county is in an excellent condition,
Mr. NanDenberg says, and there is a fair
prospect for large and bountiful harvests
The rainfall in Clark and adjoining
counties the first OF the week was the
heaviest and most continuous since the
settlement of the county. Crops of all
kinds are now most promising. The cat
crop is up and covering the ground with 4
nice mat of green.
The greater portion of the corn Is
planted and much Of it is coming up. a
| large area of cane. millet and forage crops
will be sown. The Ashland board of trade
has purchased three tons OF cotton seed
for the farmers in that vicinity and what
has heretofore been an experimental crop,
will. il is now thought, be an important
product
The Ashland coal gas and water com
pany has been organized with capital
stock of $4,000; and the machinery for
sinking well 1900 feet Is on the ground.
Everything, in fact, is bright and hope
full"
ONLY IN FUN.