The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-08-31

Alone With a Maniac
It vas on the fifth day OF our voyage,
as VA were amusing ourselves on deck,
that a message was brought me to say
that Mr. A would like to see me in his
cabin.
/ hid no difficulty in finding his room
n WAS met at the door by Mr.. A
himstf. He shook hands very cordial
ly, AID invited me to enter and take a
chain No sooner had I done so than
he ctrefully locked the door. Thinking
this father strange, I inquired as to his
Illness. He did not reply for some
timel and then said:
i I'm not i'll. I sent for YOU" laying
his hand on a large knife. ito cut your
Throat"
He was a man I mad not before par
ticul1rly noticed, but now, as 1 looked
up, fully made up my mind that he
was p maniac.
l am not a coward, yet even now the
thou3ht of that moment makes me
shudier. There / was, in a remote part
OF the ship, alone with a mailman of
twice my strer 9Th, without a chance to
escaIe, or means to give an alarm, and
being unarmed, quite at his mercy.
I had heard of other somewhat SINH
lar cases, and, though a tryo in the pro-
fessiOn, had had some experience
among the insane. I knew, therefore,
that resistance would be of the least
service to me, and that apparent ac-
quiescence would be best. All this
quickly fiashed through my mind, and
accordingly, feigning the utmost indif-
ference 1 could, I said:
"Ah, yes, Mr.. A, to be sure. 1t
won't take long will it?"
"ph, no." said he, calmly surveying
the knife he now held in his hand.
"Ol no, the job is quite a light one"
Here he poured out a glass of wine,
and begged me to drink it. AS I did so
an idea struck me, and I said:
"By-the-by, Mr.. A, your knife
doesn't look very sharp; the trachea is
tough, you know, and will want some
cutting"
He looked hard at me, as if to read
my thoughts, but, after a time, con-
WINGED that my suggestion was a good
one, and examining his knife more
closely, he said:
yes, doctor, I think you are right.
A little grinding will do no harm; so.
if you don mind waiting, I will just
run to the carpenters shop"
This was exactly what I wanted, as
feeling sure he would not lock the door
after him, I thought my escape would
be easy. What was my dismay, then,
On his departure, at finding that it was
locked as securely as before!
I passed up and down in dispair, tore
at the door, flung open the portfolio
window, and shouted with all my
might, but all without avail.
Time went on, minute by minute,
and he could not be long now. In the
frenzy of dispair, I CROPPED about,
from corner to corner, in search Of a
weapon of defence, but no, not ever
the merest stick, not the smallest thing
upon which to lay hands. And then I
heard footsteps approaching in the dis
tance.
I felt my pulse quicken, my brow
hot. Impulsively l flung off my coat,
got to the farthest end of the room, and,
standing as defensively a. possible,
resolved to fight to the last.
I remember then the door bursting
open, and the entry of A, not alone,
as I thought, but securely pinioned and
attended by two Of the ships crew in
charge Of the second officer.
The relief Of the moment was so
great that it completely Frustrated me,
and my rvo system was much
SUdhCu 1OT SOME IlIuC, WuIlC luc lIlSu-
sity and reality Of my situation often
now make me feel something akin to
what the condemned, about to be
hanged, must experience.
I learned afterward that h peculiar
and excited ann of the maniac,
the large knife in his possession and his
anxiety to sharpen it, drew suspicion
on him, which, with the fact that I had
leen called to see him, induced the
officer to secure him and come to his
cabin.
Fol the remainder Of the voyage he
was kept securely confined, and watch
ed day and night, and on arriving at
New York was handed over to the
proper authorities, who, on investigat-
ing the case, found hat the man had
escaped from a private lunatic asylum
near Liverpool. and had by strategy
and cunning eluded the vigilance Of his
keepers and taken passage In Jul YES
sci. He was, I believe, transferred to
England again, though happily, not un-
der nv are.-LOndon News.