The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1890-07-09
A HUMAN CYCLONE,
The Peril of Conveying Party of Convict
Lunatics.

The Peril of Conveying a Party of Convict
Lunatics.
1t isn't the pleasantest thing in the
world to travel with a convict, SAYS
the n. Y. Herald 1t is still less agree
able to have as your compagnon du
voyage lunatic who is liable to break
out and be violent at any moment.
But think the worst of all is to have
collection of convict ''luneys'' under
your charge even for short journey,
for, mad as they are, most of them
know that they are prisoners and
enemies of society. and they couple
with this knowledge all the reckless
ness which insanity brings. They are
apt to be both dangerous and ugly.
We were transferring six prisoners
of this variety from Utica to Auburn.
There were eleven in the party, four
besides the doctor, slender young
keepers fellow and something of dude
in appearance, with his fine clothes and
! gold-rimmed eyeglasses, which he pro-
nounced ''glawses but a good man
for all that, brave as lion, and with
muscles like steel springs on his athletic
arms.
1t was hard to say who was the most
nervous of the party-the madmen,
CACllCu DN GuGlI CuduSC VI DdSC. lllC
| keepers, knowing we'll the perils of the
enterprise, or the young doctor, keen
and alert, on whose shoulders rested
the responsibility for safely delivering
his charge within the walls of the in
| sane pavilion at Auburn.
On the station platform at Utica one
of the men, ~the most dangerous
character of all, broke loose and started
to run away. Instantly all four of the
keepers jumped on him and after a
most tremendous struggle threw him
down and overpowered him. while the
| doctor, after sweeping the others with
a lightning-like glance and bidding
| them in low tone of authority to
stand perfectly still, whipped out
pocket case with tiny syringe in it
and squirted pacifying measure into
the arm of the furious and foaming
mailman. In moment or two he had
become tranquil.
Now, get up" said the doctor, ''and
do not make US any more trouble"
The keepers relaxed their hold and
the ':luney" sullenly obeyed. 1t was
wonderful what effect the cool manner
and the strong will of the little doctor
had upon these misshapen minds. 1t
was like oil on troubled waters.
There was no further trouble until
we reached Syracuse. The dangerous
patient had been very quiet since his
first outbreak. suspiciously so the
doctor thought. who asked him several
times how he felt, if he felt all right,
and so forth. In the cars he was be-
tween his keeper and the window, and
really had no chance for mischief. But
as they were getting off the cars at
| h 6a
| took it like flash. With a quick blow
he knocked the keeper off the car plat
form and down on the station, then he
was off upon the other side and run.
ming like deer along the railroad
| track. The Chicago limited was com.
ing down the track at a fast pace, and
l expected that the locomotive would
| forever settle that troublesome patient,
for it caught him in narrow place
where he could turn neither to the
right nor to the left, but with all a
madman's cunning he lay down close
to the rails just in the nick of time and
was passed by unharmed.
But what was that upon his heels
a streak of lightning? No. it was the
young doctor, and running like the
hound that overtakes the deer. He
escaped the limited by throwing him.
self flat against the fence, and then be-
fore the other had time to scramble up
and be off again he was on him with
furious energy. He caught the fellow
by the scruif of the neck. gave him a
twist and sent him spinning like peg
top crash against the fence. Then he
had him down, and was jumping on
the PROSTATE body till the fellow
howled for mercy. Cruel? Brutal?
Well, perhaps it was, but /, who had
seen the whole business, and knew
how quickly the madman would stick a
knife in him if he got chance. could
not blame him for harsh measures.
A moment later the fellow was again
in the hands of a keeper. The NOR
phine was applied once more and the
doctor was serenely asking how he felt.
1t was not until the men were safely
lodged in their new asylum couple of
hours afterward that the doctor broke
down and then, trembling and with
futtering voice, he went to the hotel
and asked for long horn of brandy.
That is the most terrible task of any
that 1 have to do" he said. In trans
ferring the 1uneys' l am always
possessed by the expectation that one
of them will break loose and kill some
body. 1t is not for myself that l fear,
but for some harmless and unsuspect-
ing passenger. / would rather carry
load of dynamite on the cars than
half a dozen of those fellows"