The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-06-13
HANGING DEAD.
A Rigid Corpse Suspended by
the Neck.
Found Hanging From a Tree
Facing the Asylum
AT EARLYDAWNT TODAY
Three Of the Insane Patients
Escape
And One Commits Suicide as
Soon as He Escapes.
OTHER MEN ESCAPE.
Had Not Yet Been Found Late
This Afternoon.
DR.. Eastman Stands Up for His
Attendants.

Three men patients escaped from the
| insane asylum last night by removing a
window and letting themselves down to
the ground by tying bed clothes together
and one of the three hung himself to
tree in front of the building from which
he escaped
These men were Blose Mcdonald, of
Brown county, Jacob Schaffer, of Lin
coin county, and Schuyler Dressler of
Ellsworth county.
There we're exciting times around DR..
Eastman's institution west of the city
this morning when an attendant on the
second floor of one of the brick
buildings opened the door leading
into one of the associate dormatories and
found three insane patients had escape d,
and when little later the dead body of
Mcdonald was seen swinging to q tree
in the front lawn. The suicide was
found hanging directly in front of the
building from which ne had escaped.
Mcdonald had taken the stout window
cord from the window where he had
escaped and made a slip moose in one
end, the other end he fastened securely
to limb of big tree which he reached
by standing on II lawn settee. He then
slipped the moose over his head and
kicked the settee from under him.
When found his feet were about eight
cen inches from the ground The cord
with which he hanged himself was not
to exceed three feet long.
Mcdonald was sent to the asylum
about year ago from Brown county and
was not considered 4 dangerous patient.
He was between so and 60 years old.
/ The other two men who escaped from
the building with him and who have not
/ yet been recaptured were Jacob Schaffer,
an old soldier from Lincoln county, and
! Schuyler Dressler of Ellsworth county.
/ There were eight men confined in the
1 dormitory and they were all securely
/ locked up between and 9 o'clock last
/ night, usual.
An examination showed that the screws
! had been removed from the window cas-
/ ing and the window was taken out Sew
| era1 blankets were then tied together
and fastened TO the window, and by this
means three of the eight men in the
room made their escape.
Schaffer, one of the escaped patients,
was an AndersonvilIe prisoner dur
I ing the war and was formerly
/ confined in the Osawatomie asylum.
/ He was brought to the Topeka asylum
about three months ago. DR.. Eastman
said today that Schaffer was allowed to
come to the city alone, and he was reg
ular visitor at Pickett's bath house. DR..
Eastman says he supposes Schaffer
! picked up a screw driver some place, or
| something that would answer that pur-
pose, with which he removed the screws
| from the window casing.
The other man who escaped was Schuy-
Ter Dressler of Ellsworth who was
! brought to the asylum about four months
ago.
When asked if he had heard anything
from the two escaped patients Dr. East
man said: ''No. l have heard nothing
from them yet They are harmless and
will no doubt go to their homes and
when we learn that they are there we
will send after them.
This institution is not penitentiary.
1t could be SO arranged that it would be
impossible for any patient to escape, but
people are sent here not to be penned up
| for life, but to be cured and we treat
them as we'll as we can and give them
all the liberty possible"
''Do patients escape often on account
of careless attendants who hold their
positions here through political inhu-
ence?" asked the reporter.
Il am not troubled in that manner
would say"
when 1 was here before 1 was COM
pelled to discharge three good attendants
in one ward for allowing some patients
to escape. The patients secured
skeleton keys and unlocked the doors
and got away. If the attendants had
been watching their business the
patients would not have got the skeleton
keys
sit is to our credit, rather than against
it. that few people do escape from
here"
Du MaurIeF Finishes a New Novel.
IoNnoN June 13-Tha DaiIv Novvc