The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1897-11-17
LURID DAY FOR LUNATICS,
NEGRO ASYLUM ENTIRELY DE-
STR0YED BY FIRE.
Wild Scenes Among the Inmates
Driven Out and COrralIed Like
So MANY Cattle.
So MANY Cattle

30 MANY Cattle.
-dHLEDGEVILLE, GA, November o
shortly alter Il O'Clock this afteDo,n
furious volume of flames burst tbrno OIL,
the roof of the negro building At
the Georgia lunatic asylum, and
for nearly three hours the destruction Of
all the costly buildings seemed immi-
nent.
The blaze was soon communicated to
another large building also occupied nv
negroes, both If which we've cunsumed
The local fire department did good
work in holding the flames in check until
the arrival of help from Macon at 2
O'Clock.
HUSTLING OUT THE LUNATICs.
Without moments delay after the
fire was discovered the guards were snm-
moned to the scene, the huge gates fInno
wide open, the cell doors bursted loose
and the hundreds of negro lunatics
driven out of the door of the building
into the yards to the rear, where. like
carIle, they were guarded until other
buildings could be vacated for their Gus
tody.
1t was wild scene of CONSERVATION
which beggars description.
Madmen leaped high in the air, peIl-
NELL over each other screaming, shout
ing, singing and praying, many of them
being murderous fiends sent to the asy-
lum instead of the gallows by the craft
OF shrewd lawyers, ard many dangerous,
depTaved wretches, no better than brutes.
Shouting and singing, crying and laugh
Inc ID tlendish, idiOtic glee, while the
flames leaped high, the mad throng was
driven intOsthe corners If the yard, the
males on one side and the females on the
other, and We're guarded by platOons OF
attendants until the two white detaches
could be vacated, when they were cor
rallied there and in the old assembly hall
OF the asylum known as the "Old four
teenth"
LUNATICS ENJOYED THE RLAZE
Dr. Powell is greatly disturbed. He is
fearful of further work of destruction by
the inmates. All over the grounds to-
night from the windows could be heard
such screams as:
Let the fire alonem
Let it burn the whole place down, and
we will go home from this hell"
1t could easily be detected that the Off
ciaIs were alarmed at these shouts.
Whether the fire was the work of an in
mate or not is the question. One Of the
negro women says she set the building
on fire. DR.. Powell thinks it was not
the work of an inmate, but that a timer
who has been at work on the roof started
the fame bv accidentally letting a coal
OF spark fall down inside the attic. The
timer, however, says he has not been at
work there today In the hurry and eX-
cite nent of getting the 700 or 800 pa
tents out of the building it is not known
how many escaped. 1t is something
there is no way Of telling just at present.
DIR. POWELL TALKS.
When superintendent Powell was seen
tonight he said:
The building will be almost totally
destroyed, and we were enabled to save
but little Of the furniture. The cost of
constructing the negro building was $780,
900 originally, and within the past year
the two LIS have been added at cost
IT $50, 900 each. The insurance on the
onlldlug is ST. 90. 1t is a dreadful ca
lamity just at this time, for the asylum
was crowded feariully already, particu-
iarly in the cOlored department. The
house has been forced to double up the
white patients and we are IN a fearful
plight until we can double our force of
guards to prevent the inmates from set
ting fire to the other buildings.
THAT is the greatest danger that con-
fronts us. We have dozens, if not hun
dreds, of pryromaniacs here, meaning lu-
natiCs who are crazed with the desire to
3urn and destroy, and this fire will set
Them every one astr "