Sharp County record., 1890-02-06
FEARFUL ADVENTURE.
Experience with a Raving Maniac
in an Open Boat.
A College Student Goes Mad Three Miles
from Shore and Endeavors to Take His
Friends Lite-Why His Hair
Turned White.

HAYWARD Johnston is one OF the best
known insurance men in Wall street,
saws the New York Herald, besides hav-
ing the interests of several large estates
to look after. He is tall and slim in
build, apparently thirty years old, wears
clean-shaven face, and is quiet and eX-
tremely courteous in his dealings. Of
late his appearance has changed so much
that even casual acquaintance have
noted it, much to his annoyance, while
his personal friends have been thunder
struck at the change.
Mr.. Johnston's law Office is at GO Wall
street. and it was there that that gen
tleman sat in his easy chair and told his
story of his awful encounter with
madman, the result of which has marked
him for life-a young man with the
SHOWS of three-score and ten crowning
him. He said:
j"Three years ago l went to ahrlend's
country place, near Bridgeport for rec
reation. One day we went sailing and
fishing on the sound, and in the course
of conversation he asked my opinion
about his selecting law as study, and
advised him strongly to do so, which
he did; thus you see am inadvertently
responsible for future happenings and
my white hair. My friend applied him
self assiduously to the study of law at
Columbia and received his diploma
shortly before the awful fight took place
which | am leading up to,
'In the first week in last June | visit
cd his place near Bridgeport again and
was informed by his relatives that he
would arrive the next day. AS we felt
Damon and Pythias friendship for
each other l was naturally pleased at
this news, but when they told me that
hard study had unnerved him and that
they feared that the balance-wheels of
his brain were clogged little felt
sorry for him and made up my mind to
do all in my power to divert him.
''He came and was overjoyed to see
me, but l noticed that he was not his
old self The day of his arrival about
one o'clock in the afternoon, | proposed
to row on the sound. He acquiesced,
and as he was a powerful athlete and
accustomed to rowing boat | sat down
in the stern and he took up the oars.
What had said to him in the mean
time appeared to have great weight
with him, and though he appeared eX-
cited l thought nothing of it. We con-
versed on sundry topics until about
three miles from shore, when he rested
on his oars and looked me in the eye.
'He then began to talk boisterously
and reviled me and his friends, using
the most awful oaths l had ever heard,
which astonished me, as | never heard
an oath from his lips before, and | knew
him to be a man without vices. | tried
to reason with him, but this brought on
his first act of violence; and then knew
Twas alone, fguratively speaking, with
a madman in the middle of the ocean,
for there was not a boat in sight,
and the only thing alive within three
miles of us was little dog which ac-
companied us. With eyes blazing and
his face distorted with insane rage and
cunning he quickly rose from his seat
and struck me three or four times on
the head with such agility and strength
that he bore down my guard.
"You can imagine my position, alone
with a lunatic, man who in his sane
moments could throw we over his head.
/ took his blows good-naturedly and told
him that he had changed from friend
to an enemy, and this only enraged him
and made him more malicious. Never
for an instant did his bloodshot eyes
leave my face, and never did mine leave
his. and in an instant the improbable
titles of the strange story of DR.. Jekyll
and Mr.. Hyde were obliterated, to my
mind at least.
sInstead of my handsome, debonair
friend / saw a fiend as incarnate as any
Dante ever found in hell. The muscles
and cords of his neck were swelled to an
abnormal size; his lips were thin and
tiobtlv drawn over his teeth, much like
a mad dogs; his skin was darker than
when in a normal condition; his eyes
bright, pupils contracted flashing red
ly: his eyebrows drawn down into
MALIGNANT scowl; his forehead mass OF
wrinkles. and the swelling veins on hls
temples seemed to burst