Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1896-05-18
THE FIELD OF ADV ENTURE,
TRRILLING INCIDENTS AND OAR
DEEDS ON LAND AND SEA.

along IennSylYan1a avenue
~ with well known Washing
ton correspondent, the jaunt-
ing car from st. Elizabeth's, with a
load of patients, out for an airing,
drove by.
'I can't soy that I am greatly en-
amored of that kind of folk" COM
mented the correspondent.
"Nor l." responded tho reporter !;
"but I have great charity for their
mis- fortune"
"Surely, and so does everybody,
but had an experience once that has
always affected my charity and made
me suspicious.
''Tell it," said the reporter.
"All right" and the correspondent
proceeded. "About dozen years ago
l worked in a Western city, and among
my friends was an attorney who had
as his stenographer strapping big
fellow who had reputation as an
athlete and somewhat of n crank. In
any event, he had an ugly disposition,
and when he was drinking, as he was
at times, he was not pleasant party
TO have around. 1t was through me
he had secured his position in my
friends Office, and while he and I
were on the best of terms, he did not
like his employer little bit, but he
kept at his work faithfully and held
his place because he was a most skill
full man. One day as ] dropped into
the lawyers office heard the two men
quaI reling, and as 1 appeared on the
scene the big fellow made q rush for
his employer with blood in his eye.
81 jumped and caught him around
the middle, calling to the lawyer to
get out of the Office as the man was
drunk and not accountable, and the
lawyer got out IN hhrry. I thought
it would be an easy thing to quiet him,
but in minute l discovered that ]
had made serious mistake, for he
turned on me, and as I caught his eye,
l saw he was not drunk, but crazy,
and tho widest kind of crazy. Then
instead OF trying to soothe him, tried
to follow my friend, the lawyer. but
the lunatic, with u blood curdling kind
of laugh, caught me in his arms anG
began to slowly squeeze the life out oi
me.
81 was as helpless ASA baby, and
though tried to make fight, coult
only kick, and he laughed at me, with
his face so close to mine that he al
most amothered me. l yelled once,
but only once, for with a sudden turr
he threw me around, tripped mo and
fell upon me with his hands clutched
on my throat SO tightly that my
breathing stopped. After that didn't
knowany more, my last CONSCIOUSNESS
being Of that horrid, grating, crazy
laugh, until 1 opened my eyes and
found myself on a sofa in the private
room of the Office.
''The crazy man was gone, but the
lawyer, physician, u policeman and
three or four other people were stand.
ing around, and though did not asl,
where am I?' after the prescribed
fashion of people under such circum-
stances, must have looked it, for II ~
friend said: You're all right, old
man. and found pretty soon that ]
was. but it took me long time to get
over the shock of it. My friend, the
lawyer, explained that when he got
out, he waited at the door until ]
should have quieted the man, but
when he heard the struggle and yell
for help, he hustled after policeman
and got back just in time to save me.
The crazy man never recovered and
within year had butted his brains out
against the wall of an ordinary cell,
where he had been placed for an houl
or two while some repairs were making
in his own padded CELL"