Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-08
A FIGHT FOR A LIFE.
Hrs. Mary Peterson's Fearful Strug-
gle With a Frenzied Maniac.
A WOMAN'S WONDERFUL COURAGE.
She Disarms Her Assailant and Chokes him
Almost Senseless.
THE MADMAN AT BAY IN A GARRET.
Where He is Finally OverpOwered and Captured BY
an Officer

A Chicago woman has proven her cour-
age. While expecting her husbands return
maniac entered her house and attempted
to shoot her. A fight for life ensued, in
| which the brave woman almost choked her
assailant to death. The police finally over
powered and arrested the mailman.
CHICAGO, March Tt was fight for
life. The combatants were Mrs. Mary
OF Albert ] enssen. and says he is from
Michigan. The affray occurred in Mrs.
Peterson's kitchen last night.
Weary from her days work, Mrs. Peter
son sat by the kitchen fire to await the
coming of her husband. The evening meal
was on the table. She had waited perhaps
half an hour when the door opened. Sup
posing it to be her husband, she gol up to
greet him. Before she reached the hall door
1t was thrown violently open, and strange
man, with a wild, ferocious glare in his
eyes, confronted her. A moment the two
stood facing each other, the woman almost
paralyzed from fear and the mailman gloat-
ing over his intended victim with glittering
eyes.
A FEARFUL STRUGGLE.
Then he drew revolver. and, Ieveling 1t
at her head, fired. With a superhuman ef-
fort she sprang to one side, and then, with
bound like tiger, clutched him by the
throat. 1t was a fight for life, and even the
madman with his awful strength could not
loosen her grip.
In vain did he strike her with his revolver.
He tried to bring the muzzle in a line with
her head that he might blow her brains out,
but she hugged him so closely that he could
not, and the weapon was again discharged
into the wall. She clinched her hands the
tighter. His eyes began to start from their
sockets. His faced changed from red to
hvid purple, and his tongue rolled out as he
gasped for breath. The veins of his fore
head swelled almost to bursting, but the
woman held on.
HER LIFE DEPENDED ON HER GRIP.
Back and forth across the room they
struggled. Chairs were overturned and the
table, set for supper was upset. The mad
man had ceased to strike her, and all his
efforts were TO break her grasp on his throat.
He began to weaken. At last the blood
spurted from his nostrils, and the sight of
this was more than the poor woman could
stand. She relaxed her hold and fled from
the house and to the nearest neighbors, and
the police were called.
As soon as he was freed from Mrs. Peter
sons grasp the madman skunk to the attic
OF the house. In short time the Hinman
street patrol wagon arrived and Officer
Birmingham went up to the top of the
house to fetch the maniac down. 1t was no
easy matter. The fend had partially re-
covered his strength from the frightful
choking, and was at bay in a dark corner of
the attic. Fortunately, in the struggle the
fellow had dropped his revolver.
THE MANIAC ovERPowERED.
As soon as the officer entered the dimly-
lighted room the maniac made rush for
him. Then came another fight But the
officer was fresh and the mailman badly
winded from the struggle he had had with
Mrs. Peterson in the kitchen. As be closed
in on the officer the maniac gave a hoarse
veil, that sounded more like the roar of
wild beast than like human cry The off,
Ger finally threw the fellow, and he was
manacled and taken to the Hinman street
police station. Here he became more quiet.
Nothing could be learned from him, how
ever, further than that his name was Albert
Jensen and that he had escaped from a
Michigan insane asylum.
After closely examining him he was taken
to the detention hospital.