Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-09-07
TUSSEL WITH A MANIAC.
A SOLDIER GETS A LESSON IN
THE CARE OF THE INSANE.
Sitting the Servants Body with
Death Grasp on His Throat.

and on my discharge. finding my pension
! not sufficient TO keep me-, looked abou'
| for employment. Having excellent good
conduct papers was not long in obtaining
situation as personal attendant, or wha,
IS called body servant TO a young gentle
man named Frank Hardy, the son Of q
wealthy English clergyman. who wa;
studying for the army examinations.
Young Mr. Hardy was as fine specimen
of physical manhood rs / ever set eyes
upon, but ne was living instance of the
old saying, The nearer the church the
further from God" H-was not only wild
ne was Ecert:ous. When ! joined him
even :here were signs OF the srsAHing upot
magnificent constitution and powerful
intellect. though he Was but twenty-six
years OF age.
In the suite of rooms M Hardy rented
on Russell square. London. l occupied q
like chamber at the back. connecting with
the main rooms through the bathroom and
his bedroom. which opened on TO his study
by single door, and that, by large pair
OF folding doors, upon the large front re
ception room. l was also ab.e TO reach
this front room BY the hall passage with
out entering my masters rooms at all. Be
sides my duties of keeping his clothes and
rooms in order, preparing his toilet and
looking after his wants generally. | vas
expected TO be in readiness az any hour Of
the day or night to attend upon him.
IN THE MASTERS ROOM
As he generally came lone in the small
hours Of the morning you may guess that
my Office was no sinecure. On these Occa-
sions he was more like wild beast than
human being. l will not bother to tell
how for some weeks / had noticed a re-
markable change coming over the young
man, until III sheer sell protection | had
conhded certain fears 10 our landladys
husband (himself an old soldier, and mad
requested him, should l at any time not
appear at my usual hour, 10 burst open
my door, for 1 should probably be in want
of assistance. l felt better after | lad
done this anyway.
Ii was on Aug. 4, 1879. l am not likely
to forget the date, for it was one Of the
narrowest squeaks for being my last day |
ever had. The young muster had for some
days been in a sort of suIien mood, morose
and irritable, occasionally breaking out
into spasmodic passions and destroying
whatever was within his immediate reach.
l did not like the prospect, and was even
more anxious from the fact that he had,
during those days, entirely given up drink
and tobacco. If he had stuck to the latter
perhaps this adventure would never have
happened to me. | am great believer in
the soothing effects of nicotine, and l have
seen it produce calming results of the most
satisfactory nature upon many dangerous
rabid Iunatics.
On the morning of Aug. 4 my master
came home at = o'clock and At once called
upon me to attend him. ! was so used to
his eccentricities that was not very much
surprised when he ordered HE to bring my
little iron cot bed and fix up in his room.
He was not feeling well, he said. and was
rather afraid Of sleeping alone. Of course
/ did as | was commanded, and in i've min
utes was ensconced in his apartments.
II 4 MANAGES GRASP.
was not quite satisfied with his strange
behavior nor with the peculiar way in
which he watched my every movement,
and determined to be in readiness for any
emergency. IL was not long before it
arose. After assisting him TO get OF his
clothes and get into bed lay down on my
own cot, and | confess to having fallen off
TO sleep very quickly. The awakening
came with equal suddenness in this way
felt a heavy weight pressing upon me,
while some one seemed to be making an
effort to strange me. You know what
nightmare is? Well, haven't you some.
times sort of said 10 yourself during an in.
digestion dream that you knew it was
only dream and would pass away soon:
| have, and that is how | acted that night
l kind of smiled to myself, and said IL had
to go if only waited long enough.
But somehow it did not 20. Instead OF
going it got great deal worse, and when
at last | opened my eyes, through the dim
light OF the morning | saw the face of my
young master glazing down at me, while
with his thumbs at my throat he was
quietly choking the life out of me. l had
sense enough not to make an effort to
move, and then discovered that he was
sitting across my body, with his knees
upon my arms, and l was therefore power
less. What was l to do? He was grad
ually but surely killing me! Just as all
these things flashed across my mind he no
ticed that my eyes were open.
"Ah I've got you now! You'll play
the detective on me, will you? You'll play
the eavesdropper, eh? We shall sect" and
he squeezed me q little tighter
4 RCSE THAT WORKED.
1t was a matter of few moments only
knew that. 1t is not difficult to recog
nize moral danger when il is so close as all
that. Strategy was my only chance.
gave little struggle to put him off the
scent; he only squeezed tighter and laughed.
Then, with a gasp, let my jaw drop anG
my limbs fall loose and limp beneath the
madman. Would my trick succeeds The
few seconds that followed my russ passed
like hoursl
Yes! He felt the difference. What would
he dos Just what hoped he would. Raised
ny head and shoulders from the pillows.
and after one more squeeze, which nearly
cid have the desired effect, flung me back
on the pillows. But in SO doing ne Ioosened
his hold Of my throat and mis- knees slipped
from my arms That instant saved my
life. Quickerthan l can sayit was awake.
alive and fighting for supremacy with
raving murderous lunetic!
people, but self preservation is a wonder.
iui teacher. With my arms free | could
wrestle, and wrestle did. By good luck
or accident, in the course OF that struggle
we came to the floor with the mailman I'M
derneath, and then l noticed that | had
got MIN into an ineXtricable tangle with
the sheet. 1t was wound round and round
him, forming most complete strait jacket,
and was safe.
All had to do was to sit still until the
landlord come in the morning. l did not