The evening world., 1893-11-02
the man who sent the internal machine
to the Governor.
az can give no information at present."
was the reply.
BOOK A MILD CRANK TO-DAY.
Still He Was Strapped in a Strait
Jacket in Prison.

A whole squad of court officers sur
rounded George Book when he stepped
on the platform before Justice Koch in
the Jefferson Market Police Court this
forenoon. lie was charged with send.
ing a threatening postal card to Scenic
Artist Gustave Nolz, OF Proctor's Thea
tire. calling for the payment OF $40 which
Book claimed Nol2 owed him for years.
The story OF a desperate attempt that
Book made last night on Capt. O'Con-
nor, of the Tendcrloin station, while he
was being booked for a cell. had pre-
coded the prisoner to court, and 1t was
deemed advisable to keep him under
strict surccillance during the proceed
inrs.
Book had been placed in the rapidly
increasing ranks Of cranks, and that,
together with the fact that he was a
fellow of powerful physique. did as
much. perhaps, as anything clae to slim
ulate the fear the court officers seemed
to hold him in. And yet Book told an
altogether coherent story of the debt he
said Nolz owed him.
Years ago, in Portland, Ore. Book
said, Volz was employed By him In a
big painting and decorating business.
At one time Nolz borrowed $40 and then
left him to come East SOM time
HlleT"dTNS JrOCh y UlFlntsS Idltu anu
he was Ylthput2a dollar. ,
He driftet 10 New York, and found
mat Nolz had remuneratixe employment
tried to collect the debt, saying he would
a A dollar or two at "A time. lie
claimed he couldn't collect "A penny,
and in despair, wrote the Postal-card.
which thoroughly frightened NOlZ.
This ~postal-card, which caused Books
arrest. said Book was starving. and
wouldn't wait ,any, longer for his
money. He concluded by saying: Re
member it is cranks'- day. and also !
Saturday or join MY and then fol-
lowed a very crude drawing of a skull
Volz'showed The postal to Capt. O'Con-
nor, who sent out his detectives to ar
rest Book. They found him in Il saloon
adjoining. 263 Avenue Il, which address
was given on the postal card. by Il
pretext the detectives got him over to
the West Thirtieth street station house.
1t Is said that when Book realized that
he psns Under arrest he grew very wild
and made a vicious lunEe at Capt. O'Con-
nor's tn oat with n keen-edged file.
Detectives Sullivan and Lang interfered
and prevented the prisoner doing any
harm.
He was calm enough this morning
when a~rraigned. but the threatening
character o. the postal induced Justice
Koch to deal ~summarily with him. He
ordered Book TO furnish 500 for his good
behavior for six months. Rock was then
led back to the prison and the keepers,
still fearful of IN outbreak. Immediately
strapped Book in "A strait-jacket, bind
ing his arms by the wrists to his sides.
The keepers weren't taking any chances
with him, they explained.
An Evening World reporter saw
Book in the prison. This Is what I
get for lending IA friend money" he
said. He hadn't the slightest suggestion
OF a crank about him. except that his
attire was very d~ilapidated. He has "A
frank. open face and honest blue eyes.
He repeated the story of lending NolZ
money when he was In a prosperous
painting business at Portland, ore, and
how now that he was penniless and
hungry he asked for "A dollar or two to
drive hunger away.
When asked why he wrote the postal
card about ''cranks' day" and Chicago,
Book said he did not know what he
was doing. II he was n crank bent on
hurting anybody, Book was subtle
enough to conceal hat fact. and he was
~uncommonly doCile. ~. ,,, .,
Capt. Common did not press the
charge of attempted assault on him by
Book, nor did his officers tell of the
finding of a sharpcned hayonet. which
had been ground to "A stiletto-like point.
In the prisoners coat that had been
found in the stable at 2f3 Avenue r.
= An old officer of the rcourt remarked,
sententiously III it's crankism to ask
for the payment OF money we lend, why
there's n lot of us in danger of being
locked up as cranks."