Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-09
A SORT OF GUIrEAU.
A Man Under . Dangerous Hallucinati0E
Taken Into Custody.

Taken Into Custody.
| SINGULAR AND PERSISTENT DELusIoN OF An Ex-
| GOVERNMENT CLERK-HIs ARREST LAST NIGHT
FOR MANY YEARS THE VICTIM OF STRANGE
| DELUsroNs.
| The police have in custody an alleged crank
named Edward 8. Miller, who was formerly
government clerk. His reckless manner of
talking about killing the President was what
leo 70 ms arrest last evening by Detective Ma
hon and Deputy Marshal Joyce. writ de
iunatico inquirendo, addressed to the alleged
crank, had been issued from court and the Off
GERS were out yesterday with the intention of
serving it, but it was nearly 10 o'clock Inst
night when they came across Miller at his
boarding house, No. 21s B street northwest.
When the officers reached his room they
found the alleged lunatic in bed. He COM
planned to the officers that his brains had been
| knocked out and said he had Just received
| message through the wall.
WHOLESALE SLAUGHTER PROPOSED.
The persons from whom he obtained the mes
sage, he said, insisted on his killing the Presi-
dent, Secretary Window, Bill Moore (Col.
Moore, chief of police,) and others.
Miller is about forty-fve or fifty years old
| and served for several years a clerk in the
quartermaster generals Office. He was ap-
| pointed to that office about 1865 or 1866.
| About the year 1880 he was sent on some Off
cial duty to West Virginia and while there it is
thought he suffered from sunstroke, or some
| similar trouble, that left his mind unbalanced.
He returned the following year and after the
assassination of President Garfield he imagined
that certain democratic Senators had conspired
to have President Arthur killed in order that
Mr. Bayard should succeed him in the presi-
| dental chair.
Acting under this singular hallucinaton he
| began writing letters by the stack and sending
them to all the prominent republican officials,
| including President Arthur.
CHANGE OF SCENE.
DR.. Godding of the insane asylum was called
| to attend him, and he was of the opinion that a
change Of altitude would benefit the unfortu-
nate man. and he suggested that he be sent
somewhere on the Pacific slope. Accordingly
| Miller was sent to Vancouver on official duty.
He appeared somewhat better during 1882,
but soon there was change for the worse and
he began accusing his fellow clerks of hound
| Ing and prosecuting him.
Two men, whose names he gave rs Lew Doc
and Pat McGuinis, he said, we're felonious out
| laws, and they were bounding him all the time.
He suddenly left his post OF duty at VAN
| CONVEX and told his fellow clerks that he WAS
going to British Columbia and live among the
Indians. where he thought he would not be
prosecuted.
| SENT TO ST. ELIZABETHS.
| In 1885 he returned to this city and was taken
from the train at the Baltimore and Potomac
| depot and sent to st. EliZabeth's as a precau-
| tlonary measure. He remained in the asylum
for about two years. and then he was brought
out on writ Of habeas corpus issued by the
| late Chief Justice Cartier. The question ar
gued was not whether Miller was insane or not
but the legality Of his commitment was ques-
| toned.
| He had frio hx,o ;,,,, 10
chief justice, therefore, held that he was I'M
| lawfully detained and discharged him.
After that Miller returned to the asylum of
his own accord and remained there nearly two
years. In 1899 he was tried on q writ de
lunaticO inquirendo, and the jury found him
not insane.
While in the asylum he complained that two
| persons came through the walls to him and in
sisted that he ha6 been selected as the man
who had to kill the President. He refused to
| dlvulge the names of the men.
HOTEL CLERK AND INSURANCE AGENT.
| After leaving the asylum he found employ
ment as clerk in the Harris House, and later he
was employed an agent of New York life
| insurance company.
He continued writing the letters already re-
| ferred to about his supposed prosecutors and
| then he addressed letters to the President. Sec
rotary of the Treasury, the chairmen of the
| House and SeEate Judiciary committees District
Attorney HOge; Chief Justice Bingham, Maj.
| Moore and others. calling their attention to the
two men whom he styled ''felonious rufians"
and who. he informed the persons named, were
egging him on to kill the President to cover up
| the crimes that they had committed. Then he
claimed that walters and cooks at the cafes and
boarding houses were trying to poison him.
| HIS WIFE LEAVES HIM.
| His troubles caused a separation from his
wife and he has been living about in boarding
houses He has a mother and brother. who
also reside here. The most recent insane act
ketful of aftidavits setting forth that other
| countries were much better than this:
| He sent a letter to Senator Edmunds stating
that he had sent copies of the afidavits to
twenty-seven rulers of the world.
The affidavits were also sworn to before JUS
tice Of the peace in this city and Miller paid rs
| cents for each of them.
| sHADowED BY DETECTIVES.
| Chief Brooks of the secret service has also
been conducting an investigation into the mat
| ter. Detective Mahon has Swallowed him some
| time and got into his good graces by pretend
ing that lie was Kentuckian, but the alleged
crank never said anything to him about killing
the President until last night when he was ar
| rested.
The prisoner was held at the sixth precinct
station last night and his trial Oh the writ de
lunaticO inquirendo has been Set for Thursday
before a marshals jury.
Mr.. John Lane of the street sweeping depart
ment. who has done considerable detective
work in this city. also had an interest in Miller,
and he assisted the officers several months ago
in shadowing him. He said to STAR reporter
| today that Oh one occasion while he was watch
| ing miller playing billiards in Wizards Hotel
| the player threw back his coat and he Iane)
saw in Miller's hip pocket what looked to be a
large knife.
|