The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1893-09-02
I'm AN ENGLISH PRISON:
CASE OF. DIR. MINOR AN IN
sss4 ~. SANE ARMY DOCTOR.

49,
Hunting Their Husbands-Chass Across
Seas to Join Their Better halves or
B. Wives Of Naval Omcers who Have
u Been Ordered to Foreign Parts.
=. = =. ! -. II
Instructions sent to Ambassador
tBayard to inquire into The condition
sof Capt. c. w. Minor, United States
army, retired, brings to mind the
Esfact, remem bered by few. people, that
AN officer. of j. the United States army
as serving life sentence in an Eng
EESlish prison for murder ia E.xIs xttSG
+ The case is a most unique one. & It i
Esis not only unusual because Of they1
confinement in, a foreign prison, but, /
Us the only case on record of mur-
|tderer borne on the rolls of the army
and drawing the pay of his grade
ITO be true the salary is not paid to,
him direct, but it. goes to his legally
appointed conservator, and he will
/ continue to draw it as long as he re-,
mains alive. -. -. IT., x.
Il It is in consequence. Of the, ques-..
ltion OF pay that Ambassador Bay ard
lis directed to inquire into the condi-s
I5tion of the murderer. Every few
Isyears formal inquiry of this kind is
jmade through the regular diplomatic
l5channels in order that the war de-
Y 1partment may feel satisfied that it
/ Us not paying a salary to dead man
I Quarterly eertif Gates are filed by the
lzconservator bearing the signature of
1 the superintende of the. English
15prisOn, or rather criminal lunatic
4 asylum, to the effect that Capt.
T Minor is still alive, says the Wash
\ ington Post - - .:~-. -
T. The last report from the superin-
tendents of the .Broadmore lunatic
/ asylum tells the story Of his crime
i and confinement: ..He was confined
in this asylum April II, 1872 His
offense consisted of shooting with a
4 revolver and killing a man in the
1 Belvedere road, lambeth"
The man was on his way to work
! at the time he was shot. Captain
1 Minor had been an inmate of an
! asylum in America, but had gone
over to England on leave of absence.
He labored under the delusion that
persons who were unknown to him
entered his bedroom during the
+ night for the purpose of annoying
him, and in order to punish his sup
posed tormentors and also for: the
Ipurpose OF proving Ito his friends
] that he was right in saying that per-
sons did really enter his room, took
loaded revolver to bed with h him, ii1-
intending to shoot any of his tor
mentors in his bedroom. - -. r,'- Il
t. One night he awoke with start
I and fancied he. saw a man at the
foot of his bed. He took his revolver
from under his pillow, intending to
shoot this man, but he says the man
was too quick for him and ran out of
the house. Captain Minor followed
him with all speed, and; thinking
that a man whom he saw in the
street was the man who had been in
his bedroom, he fired at him re-
peatedly, and killed. him. The man
was laborer, on his way. to work.
Captain Minor is still insane and
still has the same delusion respect
ing persons coming into his sleeping
room at night His bodily health is
moderately good. =: -. -
For several years after his coniine-
ment the relatives of Captain Minor
made strenuous efforts through the
state department, to secure his re-
lease. The English authorities, how
ever, would not s;budge from their;
firm stand against allowing anyone
to come out of the criminal asylum
alive. Assfar as known no American
has ever been permitted to see the
murderer since his confinement
Captain Minor is now 81 years of
age. He was born on the island of
Ceylon, and appointed an assistant
surgeon from New York in 1866. He
was retired in 1870 on. account of or
ganic lesion of the brain consequent
upon sunstroke which he suffered
in Florida in line of duty. :. .-;s.,;a!
The navy department. has in the
past been much hampered in many
i ways, by the embarrassments arising
from officers having wives. Ere
quentlytit has occurred that impor-
tant orders have hung FIRE or been
delayed by the condition of. an of
ficer's wife, and the presence. of the
wives of the officers; eta ship ina for
eign port has been proven time and
again to be detrimental to the best
interests of the service.
Acase occurred on the China sta
tion where an officer, knowing the
independent spirit Of his better half,
and aware that sheS possessed ii her
own right the sinews Of travel, urged
that she stay at home until his re-
4 turn. +3s Z 81 ~ ~ 5.., .s4 +Tz 80 ~
# the idea Of joining her husband
had not entered the; lady's mind be-
fore it did now, and with such effect
that she arrived or. the station on the.
steamer by which the officer had
/ looked for written acquiescence in
1 his views. The husband was duly
Edetached from his ship. but was not
ordered home, so, instead of sailing
l.aWav for. sstha land of the free and