The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-10-21
Drove His Young Wife from Home I'm
Dead of Night and Defied Ofi-
GERS for Seventeen Hours.
WITH RIFLE AND REVOLVER
HE OPENED FIRE on EVERY ONE
WHO CHANGED TO PASS THE HOUSE
Pitiful Lunacy of C.. :. Merwin, One OF
the Wealthy Residents of Wood
land Park.

CHICAGO, Oct. 2o.-Armed with Win
chester rife and revolver. a madman de-
fed the police for hours to-day at No. 30
Woodland Park, in one of the most aristo-
cratic residence districts of the city. Bar
ricaded and locked in second-story room
comanding a complete view of the park, the
lunatic splintered doors. shattered window
panes and tore holes in the plastering of
the room with bullets from his rife, while
he shouted defiance to the police and others
attracted TO the scene.
The insane man was c. s. Merwfn, of the
firm of Rogers. Brown & Co., pig iron
dealers. After seventeen hours of effort the
police by strategy surprised and overcame
the madman. Although ne had fired 140
shots from his rife and revolver, Merwin
injured no one, but number of people had
narrow escapes.
After every other attempt to capture the
insane man before he should kill some one
or injure himself had failed, sulphur was
burned in the furnace. All the registers
were closed excepting the one in the room
occupied by Merwin. In an hour after the
sulphur fire was started, AIerwin. partly
overcome by the fumes laid down on his
bed and secured with tut feeble re-
sistance.
The aristocratic circle of Woodland Park
was greatly excited in the morning when it
became known that Merwin had suddenly
gone mad, driven his wife in terror from
their home and was roaming through the
house, armed with revolver and a rifle.
Woodland Park is fringed with elegant res
licences occupied by families of wealth and
culture, and the park grounds serve. as a
beautiful lawn for all who live within the
inclosure.
Mr. Merwin Saturday afternoon attended
concert at the Auditorium Mrs. Merwin
was i'll and did not go. When Mr.. Aerwin
returned home early in the evening he
complained of pain in his head As the
evening wore on the pain 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 sprane
from the bed and, seizing his rifle chased
his wife to the kitchen Throwing up a
window the terrified woman leaped to the
ground, ten feet below, and ran to the
residence of Abram Baldwin, where she
was cared for. The police were notified
and three men were sent to the Merwin
residence. AS they tried to enter through
rear window several shots were fired
at them. while at the same time the insane
man yelled at them, calling them burglars
coming UP the stairs. Friends of Merwin
were sent for and tried to reason with
him, but 1t was useless. He fired shots al
the neighboring houses, breaking windows
and causing the inmates TO take refuge In
the rear rooms. One or two bicyclists pass
ing were fired at, but Merwins aim was
bad and the scorchers escaped with a bad
scare.
The police obtained choloform ant
squirted 1t into the room with syringe
through a key hole, but Merwin was
shrewd and threw up the windows, there
al by neutralizing 1t. Finally, at about
O'Clock this afternoon, sulphur was pro
! cured and placed in the furnace as stated
above and Merwin, having closed the win
| dows again, he was soon overcome The
unfortunate man was dressed and taken tt
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 ina the Ten
nessee mountains. Merwin was kicked il
\ the head by horse and to the consequen
brain injury his present condition is as
| cribed. He was married a year and a hal
/ ago to a prominent young woman of New
| Haven Conn, and is member of tn
Union League and several other prominen
| clubs.