St. Paul daily globe., 1895-10-21
CRANK AND GUN.
THEY HOLD THE CHICAGO PO-
LICE AT BAY FOR
HOURS.
HAD TO SMOKE HIM OUT.
THE CRAZED MAN A MEMBER OF
A PROMINENT BUSINESS
FIRM.
DURRANT's CASE DESPERATE.
More Testimony Discovered
Which Will Tighten the Coils
Around Him.
HAD TO SMOKE HIM OUT.
DURRANT's CASE DESPERATE.

CHICAGO, Oct. 20.-Armed with a
Winchester rifle and a revolver, a
madman defied the police for hours
today at No. 35 Woodland park, in
one of the most aristocratic residence
districts of the city.
Barricaded and locked in a second
story room, commanding a complete
view of the park, the lunatic splin-
tered doors, shattered window panes
and tore holes in the plaster of the
room with bullets from his rifle, while
he shouted defiance to the police and
others attracted to the scene.
The insane man was G. S. Merwin,
Of the firm of Rogers, Brown & Co.,
pig iron dealers.
After seventeen hours of effort by
the police, by strategy, they sur
prised and overcame the madman,
although he had fired 140 shots from
his rifle and revolver. MerWin in
jured no one, but a number of peo-
pie had narrow escapes. After eV-
cry other attempt to capture the in
sane man before he should kill some
one or injure himself had failed,
sulphur was burned in the furnace.
All the registers were closed except
ing the one in the room occupied by
Merwin. In an hour after the sui
phur fire was started, Merwin, part
ly overcome by the fumes, laid down
on his bed and was secured with but
feeble resistance.
Tho rio ri Of
land park was greatly excited in the
morning when it became known that
Merwin had suddenly become mad,
driven his wife in terror from their
home and was roaming through the
house armed with a rifle and a re-
volver. Woodland park is fringed
with elegant residences, occupied by
families of wealth and culture, and
the park grounds serve as beauti-
full lawn for all who live within the
enclosure.
Mr.. Merwin Saturday afternoon at
tended a concert at the Auditorium.
Mrs. Merwin was i'll and did not go.
When Mr.. Merwin returned home
early in the evening he complained
of pain in his head. AS the even
ing wore on, his headache grew
worse. He applied such remedies
as were at hand, but they did not
relieve him, and in the middle of the
night he suddenly sprang from bed,
and, seiZing his rifle, chased his
window, the terrified woman leaped
to the ground, ten feet below, and
ran to the residence of Abram Bald
win, where she was cared for. The
police were notified, and three men
were sent to the Merwin residence.
AS they tried to enter through a
rear window several shots were
fired at them, while the, insane man
yelled ait them, calling them burg
lars, and saying he would
KILL THE FIRST MAN
coming UP the stairs. Friends of
Merwin were sent for and tried to
reason with him, but it was useless.
He fired shots at the neighboring
houses, breaking windows and caus-
ing the inmates to take refuge in
the rear rooms. One or two bicy-
clists passing by were fired at, but
Merwin's aim was bad, and they
escaped with a. bad scare. The po-
lice obtained chloroform and squirt
ed it into the room with a syringe
through the keyhole, but Merwin was
shrewd and threw up the windows,
thereby neutraliZing it. Finally, at
about 4 o'clock this afternoon, sui
phur was procured and placed in
the furnace, as stated above, and
Merwin, having closed the windows
again, was soon overcome. The un-
fortunate man was dressed and TAX
en- to the Detention hospital.
Merwin is thirty-five years old. He
came to Chicago five years ago from
New Haven, Conn, where he was
reared. Three years ago, while in
the iron range in the Tennessee
mountains, Merwin was kicked in
the head by a horse, and to the CON-
sequent brain injury his present con-
dition is ascrdbed. He was married
a year and a half ago to a prominent
young lady of New Haven, Conn.,,
and is a member of the Union league
and several other prominent clubs.