Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-02-16
INSANITY ON INCREASE
Sioux City Alarmed at the Number
ofCases Occurring in the
County.
Nine Patients Sent to the Asylums
During the Month Just
Passed
Are Local Conditions Responsible
Fer This Wcetul State Of
Affairs?

Affairs?
Sioux city. Feb. 1s.Thc session Of
tho police court yesterday was more like
a session of an insanity commission.
The only prisoners on the bench We're
three men who had given evidences Of
.unsound minds"B Black Pearl" the
prize fighter. who had doped himself
weak With cocaine: Henry Brown. who
was sure somebody was looking for him
with q. gun, and George f'arsons. an old
soldier, VINO nad persisted i. iiityavesi-
ing o take his own life.
Griffin and Brown viii Come befere
the Insanity comnlission this morning.
Brown halls from Meuiden. d town
rot far from Mankato, MINI. IL Was
talsen IL charge Yesterday morning by
Policeman Gates, who took him TO the.
police station for shelter When one ii
the ufliceis led him back 10 the cell room
10 put him inside, Brown lodged away
from sp!ie imaginary person, wlao he
said MAS tdying 10 XIII hia. In the.
morning. When Policeman WallleH went
to get him 10 take him before judge
Gray. he lodged behind a eofne. and
asked Walker not 10 shoot him. Again
ne hia himself in the cell, and declared
he Was afraid Of being SHOT. IL the
court room he declared that a few weeks
ago some ore had filed his pockets
With red pepper, from which he could
! not rid his person. He had taken a bath
and tried every possible way OF getting
lid of the stuff but it Was still there 1t
was driving him crazy. These same
people had been trying to shoot him for
some time. Only the night before he
said, Il detective had tried to kill him.
III know who the man is, too he as
sured the court. Judge Gray ordered
lsthat Brown be taken bsfore the insanity
commission.
1 William Griffin, more commonly
/ known as the Black Pearl" Was able
10 talk intellieently TO the court. altho
| for the last few days he has been cut
/; ting up all kinds Of antics and giving
/ the police a good deal of trouble His
mind has bacome affected thru thu ex-
cessive use OF cocaine a few days ago
fhe Went to the police station. begging
protection from an imaginary mob OF
! packing house men. sunday morning he
i called AT the station and asked again
/ for protection. He said u gang OF men
4 We're looking for him. Tuesday he was
/ locked up as a dangerous character.
/ Policeman DOWNS arrested him On q
Warrant charging him With discharsins
4 firearms. He had fired some shots into
1.-The side of house. and frightened his
4 neighbors. His old associates are afraid
Inc may do himself OF others harm. II
4 the police court he admitted that hs
had discharged firearms. But was
Isfo'ced 10 il. 70 honah he exnlained
i THE Pearl admitted he had beer
I#drusging hin1self heavily. He MAS sem
i To the county jail 10 he taken befars
/ the Insanity comans sior.
/ George Is: Parsons. the 0;reenvlls
i man Who cllased his family from tlls
house Tuesday morning and threatened
10 XIII himself. would mt admit he sas
insane He Told the judge he had hat
family troubles. and the burden Ma
more than lie could bear. His wife hat
accused him 81 things of Which he Ma
mot guilty. and her accusations hat
driven him 10 desperation. He ADMITTED
he had disturbed the peace. but he oh
ljecte(i to being atralsned Tor insanity
Z He wanted the members OF his fainii,
brought; into ceiti., to tell their story
Judge Gray told him that the insanit,
commission is composed of inteligen
and fair-minded man. ard that the.
lwould not find him insane unless Their
n should be good reason for such ii Yer
ldiet. During the morning Parsons wifi
called at the station and signed u re
lrf