The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-09-20
A NAKED MAN.
Probable Victim OF the Cherokee Strip
Mania.

The mysterious naked man was around
town again last night and scared half a
dozen men out of several years growth.
The naked man is now running at large
about a week and is as much of a mystery
as the once famous Jack the Ripper.
Nearly a week ago Charlie McAdams was
going home from the store at late hour
at night, and as he turned the corner OF
Topeka ana Central. whistling after
the Ball is Over" and other
music calculated to inspire courage
he saw white object hopping along the
sidewalk in front of the old Meade prop
erty, and Immediately his saffron colored
hair began to stand on each individual
end like the quilts on Shakespeare's fret
full porcupine. He was too brave to cry
out and too scared to run, and after some
minutes in consultation with his nerve he
concluded to make a bluff and give The
mysterious object chase, He did SO
and after travelling the distance Of few
blocks he got close enough to see that it
was a man who was so short OF clothing
that he bore a striking resemblance
to the French statuary in ths
art hall at the worlds fair. Finding that
it was man be gave up the chase for
Charlie does not like the idea of hunting
men that hour of the night. Besides he
had compassion for the fellow for he
figured it out that he was some henpecked
husband who was compelled to leave bed
by some marital shrew and tind that COM
fort in the cold streets that was denied
him in his home The idea also came into
his head that the man might have. by
mistake of course, entered some other
mans house and went to bed, and
that the rightful owner didn't give
him time to put on his clothes before
departing. At any rate Charlie regarded
him as some poor devil who was out of
luck and left him alone in his nakedpess.
1t was thought that such thing would
never again occur and that it was the last
of it until last night about II o'clock when
Mrs. Davidson saw him running down
Lawrence avenue, going at the speed OF
scared coyote. He was more naked last
night than on the previous occasion when
he wore only one sock. Others saw him
on East FRS. street and he WAS still travel
ing as fast as the wind. OF course he
scared everybody SO bad that they
did not notice him close enough to recog-
uize him. The general opinion is that he
had snakes in his boots, but that could not
be so, as every one was positive that he
had neither boots nor anything else on.
The matter was reported TO the police, and
it is probable that the efficient colored dog
catcher will be put on his trail.
II is altogether likely that he is a victim
of the Cherokee strip craze, and who can
blame him? For thirty days there has
been talk enough on that subject to set
any man crazy. Five hundred times day
the words strip" ann run" ding
donged in ones ears. They were evidently
impressed upon this poor mans mind Sc
much that he thinks Of nothing else but
strip and run. And this view OF the mat
ter is evidenced by the fact that he Is
ALWAYS running when he is stripped and
stripped when he is running. The fact OF
the matter is it is u wonder half the
people in the southwest are not stripped
and running, they have heard so much
about strip and run and run and strip and
strip aud rush and rush and strip. AS
long as he is not stripping or
running or rushing anybody else
he has right. perhaps, to his little
amusement, but at the same time it
would not be bad idea to catch him and
find out whether his disease is contagious
or not, for if it is it would be terrible in a
thickly populated town like this on the
very eve of winter-and here, again. the
word "eve" reminds one that the malady
prevailed at an early period of the exist
ence of the race, and that fig leaves were
quite good remedy for it.