The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1898-07-09
RACE WITH A MANIAC.
Nerve-TryinR Adventure of a Ken
lucky Merchant with n Mailman

burned; that your heart stopped; you
choked. and your hair crept e your
scalp? All, that's what 1t is TO be really
frightened. And you don't get oyer II
in a day, either"
That's what the quiet little man said.
We had been talking of the sensations
of n man when he is attacked by a fool-
pad or when he awakes to find n burg
lar In his room. The sensations OF the
coward were also discussed, and h
exquisite pleasure of fear, as described
by Robert Louis Stevenson In "Thc
Suicide Club" was lightly considered
by those present.
"Were you ever so frlghtenedY' some
one asked the long. thin man.
Il was, and | have never fully recov-
cred from It," he answered. ut was n
curious experience, and, although IL
was, in a measure, lu%dicrous, 1t had an
awful terror for me. | lived In the
country. a few miles from n town In
Kentucky. and a mile beyond the asy-
lum for the insane. | was In business
In the town, and used to walk back
and forth between my house and my
store for exercise. | had moved from
the town for that purpose. l had to
pass the asylum night and morning by
n path that followed the high stone wall
that inclosed the asylum grounds.
zone of the most violent and danger
Gus inmates of the asylum was n law
yer of the name of Birch-a powerful
man physically and hopelessly insane.
He had a mania for tearing his clothes
from his body, and would rend the
stoutest cloth into shreds. In his at
tempts to escape he had gnawed to
pieces with his teeth the window sill
of his cell, much as n horse gnaws his
mange But he had never managed
to escape, and. although we in the town
heard of his desperation. no n feared
that he would ever get out.
zone evening about dusk l was
trudglng along the path beside the
asylum wall on my way home to sup
per. The exercise had warmed me up,
for | was chilly, and l was feeling
cheerful. | whistled as l went. Sud
denly | heard a rattle In the bare
branches of a tree that grew inside the
asylum grounds and hung over the
wall. l was startled and looked up.
Above me on the wall was a white,
ghostly figure. The next instant 1t
came hurting down through the air to-
ward me. / saw that 1t was a naked
man of huge proportions. In terror l
turned and ran. By the time the naked
man had gathered himself after allght-
ing, | was twenty-five feet up the path.
running like a scared coyote.
"As 1901 as | could gather my senses
| knew that 1t was Birch; that he had
torn his clothes off and had escaped.
| knew of his violence and desperation.
and that II he caught me he would
strangle me with one twist of his hand.
and then-but the thought spurred me
to additional effort, and | ran with
such speed as | never thought myself
capable of. A few months of walking
had hardened me so that l was In good
condition, but l was hampered by my
overcoat.
"As | ran | could hear behind me the
pat-pat Of the manlac's bare feet on the
hard path. He was gaining on me very
slowly. / tried to estimate how soon
he would catch up with me II he con-
tinued to so gain. | vas becoming
wlnded, and my efforts TO relieve my
self of my o~vercoat lost me about three
feet.
II could hear the heavy breathing OF
the maniac and the occasional %gnashing
of his teeth. 1t was awful. We had
long since passed the asylum grounds,
and were now running In the uneven
road. Far ahead | could see the lights
In the windows of my house. My
grounds were surrounded by a high
stone wall, In which there was a door.
If could reach this and get through
| might be able to leave my pursuer for
a few moments on the outside until |
could get help.
IL could hear the painting of the ma
mac coming nearer and nearer. Once I
looked hastily over my shoulder. lie
was not over five feet away, and his
glaring eyes and open, gaping mouth
terrified me so that l nearly fell. |
was rapidly growing exhausted. /
doubted II | could reach the door In the
stone wall.
1.-The painting was now close to me.
I imagined | could feel the breath OF
the mailman on my neck. and shrank
forward to avoid the heavy hand l mo-
m~entarily expected to drop on my
shoulder.
AT last we reached the end of the
stone wall. l could go no farther. |
threw myself at the wall, turning in the
air and backing against 1t, determined
to sell my life as dearly as possible. On
rushed the maniac. He was close to
me. He reached out his powerful hand.
II tapped me on the shoulder.
"'Tag! You're IT. he shouted. Now
catch me- And he bounded off swift
" in the darkness.
'"rhree days afterward they caught
him In the next county, where the en-
tire population was hunting him for {
wild man. l had about recovered from
my fright when they brought him back
but my hearts been weak ever since
Kansas City Times.
Soug.
A wind IL astir in my garden