Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1890-06-06
A HUMAN CYCLONE.
Peris of Conveying II Party of Convict
Lunatics from Jail to Asylum.

Perils of Conveying Il Party of Convict
Lunatics from Jail to Asylum.
It isn't the pleasantest thing in the world
to travel with a convict. 1t is still less
agreeable to have as your compagnon du
voyage q lunatic who is liable to breal. out
ani be violent at any moment. But think
the worst of all is to have collection OF
convict ''luneys" under your charge even
for a 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 recklessness
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 keepers be-
sides the doctor, a slender young fellow
and something of a dude in appearance,
with his fine clothes and gold trimmed eye
glasses, which he pronounced "glawses,"
but 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 ner-
vous of the party-the madmen, excited by
their change of base; the keepers, knowing
we'll the perils of the enterprise, or the
young doctor, keen and alert on whose
shoulders rested the responsibility for safe
ly delivering his charges within the walls of
the insane 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
upon him and, after tremendous strug-
gle, threw him down and overpowered him,
while the doctor, after sweeping the others
with lightning like glance and bidding
them in a low tone of authority to stand
perfectly still, whipped out pocket case
with tiny syringe in it and squirted pa
cifying measure into the arm of the furious
and foaming mailman. In a moment or
two he had become more 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. It was wonder
full 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, etc. 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 Syracuse
his opportunity came and he took it like
flash. With quick blow he knocked the
keeper off the car platform and down on the
station, then he was off upon the other side
and running like deer along the railroad
down the track at a fast pace, and ex-
pected 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 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 unframed.
But what was that upon his heels-a
doctor, and running like the hound that
overtakes the deer. He escaped the limited
by throwing himself fat against the fence.
and then before the other had time to
scramble up and be off again he was on
him with furious energy. He caught the
fellow by the scruff of the neck, gave him
a twist and sent him spinning like peg
top crash against the fence. Then he had
hAiA wv" ehAu was JuAhPiAS5 Ou CAC pIOS-
trate body till the fellow howled for mer-
cy. Cruel? Brutal? Well, perhaps it was,
but /, who had seen the whole business
and knew how quickly the mailman would
stick knife in him if he got the chance,
could not blame him for harsh measures.
A moment later the fellow was again in
the hands of a keeper. The morphine was
applied once more and the doctor was Sc
rencly 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. 'That is the
most terrible task of any that l have to
do" he said. SIN transferring 1uneys' l
am always possessed by the expectation
that one of them will break loose and kill
somebody. 1t is not for myself that fear,
but for some harmless and unsuspecting
passenger. would rather carry load of
dynamite on the cars than half dozen of
those fellows" New York Herald.