Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1898-04-21
FIELDS OF ADVENTURE.
THRILLING INCIDENTS AND DARING
DEEDS ON LAND AND SEA.

Elephant and an Enraged Lion.
"When / first hung out my shingle, I"
said a prominent New York physician
to group of friends, among them q
Washington Star reporter, 81 thought
it would be easy to drum up good
paying practice. But soon realized
my mistake. Patients were few. l
didn't earn so the first month, and
one day when felt very discouraged
and was thinking of giving up the
study of the healing art for more
lucrative commercial pursuit, met q
friend. The latter was the agent for
line of transatlantic steamers, and
on telling him of my poor success as a
physician, he offered me position as
surgeon on one of his ships. / ac-
cepted the berth, and, on the evening
of the third day at sea, had an ex
perience with madman, which 1
shall never forget.
"The weather was very stormy, and
as I, in consequence, had had but lit
tie sleep the two previous nights, 1
felt rather drowsy, and sat in chair
in my stateroom doing. Suddenly L
was awakened by tremendous lurch-
ing of the vessel. Then 1 heard loud
knock at my door, and tall, strange,
and very excited dark featured man
hurriedly entered my cabin. The
mans actions were so peculiar that I
jumped to my feet and reached for n
revolver which lay on my table. But
[ was too slow. The stranger had
seized the weapon. / then asked the
man gruffiy what he wanted. He did
not reply for some time, and then, af-
ter locking the door and putting the
key and my pistol in his pocket, said:
"'I'm not sick, doctor. I've come
here, exposing long knife from the
sleeve of his coat, 'by order of the
captain to cut your throat
''For q moment looked the strang-
er in the face, and his wild, steady
! stare soon convinced me that / had to
deal with n madman.
81 am not coward, yet even now
the thought of til atmoment makes me
shudder. There [ was in q remote
part of the ship alone with a mailman
of twice my physical strength, without
a chance to escape or means to give
alarm, and being unarmed, entirely at
his mercy. L therefore decided that
resistance would be Of the least service
to me, and that apparent acquiescence
would be best. All this quickly flashed
through my mind, and accordingly,
feigning the utmost indifference ]
could, [ said:
The captains orders must, of
course, be obeyed But can you do
the deed quickly?'
" 'Oh, yes, replied the madman,
calmly surveying the knife which he
held in his hand I'm butcher by
trade and can do the job easily with
this tool. ,"
''Here he paused to examine with
his thumb the edge OF the knife, which
looked rather blunt, and as he did so
an idea struck me, and L remarked:
Your knife does not seem to have
n very keen edge; the trachea is tough,
you know, and rather difficult to cut
with such blunt instrument
"The madman now looked at me
with n curious expression, as if trying
to read my thoughts, and then, after
examining the knife more closely,
seemed to think my suggestion a good
one; for he said:
Yes, doctor, I think you are
right. A little sharpening will do no
harm; so if you don't mind waiting |
will so to the galley and get the cook
to help me put an edge on it with his
grindstone.
"This was exactly what [ wanted,
as, feeling sure he would not lock the
door after him, / thought my escape
would be easy. But picture my dis
may when on his departure, L dis
covered that the door was locked as
securely as before.
"What was to do? flung open the
portfolio and shouted with all my might
for assistance, but the fury of the gale
was now so great that all my efforts to
make myself heard were of no avail.
Then in frenzy Of despair I looked
about for some weapon of defence, but
there was not so much as a stick to be
found in my cabin. L put my ear to
the keyhole, and, thinking L hea1 d
footsteps approaching, [ impuisively
threw off my coat, went to the furthest
end of the room, and standing as de-
family as possible, resolved to fight to
the last.
81 remember then the door bursting
open and the entry of the madman,
not alone, as [ expected, 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 prostrated
me, and fell in faint to the floor.
"When / came to my senses /
learned that the peculiar and excited
manner of the maniac, the largo knife
in his possession and his anxiety to
sharpen it, drew suspicion on him and
induced the officer to secure and bring
him to my cabin to ascertain his con
dition. Needless to say [ pronounced
| the man insane, and he was kent