Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-11
John McClarren Dies at Dix.
mont From Injuries Re-
ceived at Ebensburg.
HIS SKULL FRACTURED.
The Cambria County Sheriff Confessed
to Having Clubbed Him.
ARRESTS WILL BE MADE TODAY.
Imaginary White Caps Drove the Insan,
Man to Violence.
THE CoRoNERs INQUIRY CONTINUED

| John McClarren, an inmate of the Dix.
mont Insane Asylum, died at that institu.
tion at 5 o'clock on Monday evening. His
skull had been fractured in two places, and
Sheriff George C. Steinman, of Cambrs
county, will be arrested charged with the
killing.
McClarren was committed to Dixmont on
May 8, 1892. He was INDECENT and had
been violent With the order of court com.
mitting him to the asylum Judge A. v.
Barker, of Cambria county: sent to DIR.
Hutchinson, Superintendent of Dixmont,
the following: "I know but little of John
McClarren, this day committed to Dixmont,
except that he has been violently insane
before, and is said to have been an inmate
of your institution before, possibly ten
years ago. He has been locomotive engi-
neer."
DR.. Graham, the assistant superintendent
at Dixmont, received McClarren from the
Cambria county authorities. The patient
had been accompanied from Ebensburg by the
Sheriff and deputy. When they reached
the institution DR.. Graham SAYS McClarren
was in sort of a stupor.
McClarren Had Been Knocked Down.
The Sheriff, DR.. Graham says, explained
the patients condition BY saying that he
was violent before leaving the Cambria
county Jail, where he had been kept over
night, and that it had taken five men to
handle him. The Sheriff also told DR.. Ora
ham that it had been necessary to knock
McClarren down with a club couple of
! times before they could control him.
After superficial examination by DR.. Gra-
| ham, McClarren was sent to a room in the
asylum.
The next morning DR.. Hutchinson, the
superintendent, called to see the patient.
He found him in semi-unconscious condi-
tion. He examined his head, and at once
pronounced the unfortunate to have been
fatally hurt in some manner. He called in
his assistant, DIR. Graham, and then for the
first time heard of the assault made on
McClarren by the Cambria county
authorities He ordered the patient to
he carefully watched over until he died.
After death DR.. Hutchinson Immediately
ordered post mortem. DR.. Graham per-
formed the work. He found that Nc
Clarren's skull had been fractured in two
places and pronounced both fractures to
have resulted from blows by some blunt in
strument. Both fractures are on the left side
of the skull, but one of them extended over
the entire top of the head, almost from ear
to ear. The skull was pro-
nounced to have been unusually thin
The Coroner Takes a Hand.
; The Coroner was, yesterday morning no.
titled of McClarren's death. Alderman Nc
Kenna was deputized to hold an inquest.
District Attorney Burleigh and County De-
tectiye Beltzhoover were notified and the
arrest of McClarren's assailants was Or
dered.
At the Coroner's inquest yesterday after
noon some ugly evidence developed against
the Cambria county authorities. The dead
man S friends has been notified of the death,
but only one of them, cousin, appeared at
the institution and he had little informa-
ton regarding the dead man whom he said
had been for many years considered insane,
but harmless.
McClarren was about As years old and in
early life had been a we'll developed man.
1t is said that love affair drove him insane.
There is no record of his having been in
Dixmont previously. Recently, however,
he developed a fancy that he was being fol-
lowed by White Caps, and when under that
peculiar spell he would become violent and
dangerous, and would at times run for
miles to escape his imaginary enemies. The
day before he was brought to Dixmont he
jumped through window in the room in
which he was being kept, taking the
window sash with him. He fell on his
head and sustained a slight scalp wound.
He was not badly hurt, however, and he
ran away. He was captured, however, and
was confined in the Cambria county Jail
where it is alleged he received the injuries
from which he died.
Never Recovered From the Shock.
DR.. n. S. Hutchinson was the first wit
ness examined by the acting Coroner The
doctor said: John McClorren, deceased
was sent here May 3, 1892, by the court of
Cambria. l was not present at the time he
was received, but the next morning the
nurse called me in and showed me cut on
McClorren's head which was V shaped
This cut was on his head when he was re-
ceived at this institution. 1 called Dr.
Graham in. The deceased was acutely
insane He was unable to tell me how he
received his injury He was in a state of
shock, and he never rallied. He never re-
gained consciousness or reason, and died at
p. NJ. on May 9, 1892. l told the nurses
to take good care of him, and in case of
death would insist upon post mortem
examination, which 1 did, and found that
he died from violence. DR.. Graham knows
more about the case than any other person"
James T. McClarren, who lives at South
Fork, Pa, and who is a cousin of the dead
man, said: THE deceased was about 45
years old. He was a single man, and lived
about Summerhill, Cambria county, Pa
don't know anything about his injuries. I
have seen him since his DEATH"
Ed S. Kennedy, the Southside liquor
man, testified to knowing John McClarren.
He said: 81 saw him on Sunday, May l,
1892, at his home. He was fighty. but at
times rational. He talked to me and told
me he imagined White Caps were after
him, and he jumped out through window
and tooG the sash with him. 1 noticed a
slight cut on his head, and that is all 1
know OF his death. l saw him before he
was brought to Pittsburg. He had several
cuts on his head"
McClarren's Body Badly Bruised.
Robert McGiffin said the deceased was
put under his care about q week ago. He
was all bruised and had cuts on his head.
There was only one wound visible on his
head, but black marks over his body.
a. n. Morrow, supervisor of the male
department, said: 81 received John Nc
Clarren and took him to the ward. I saw
he had large scar or flesh cut on the top of
his head, and was marked On head and
breast. There was no deep cuts, but on the
top OF his head, that saw. 1 left him in
charge of a nurse after seeing him sleeping.
He was brought here on Thursday, May 8,
1892, by two men. 1 was told one
of them was a Sheriff One of them
said they had very hard fight
with McClarren and that it took five men to