Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1901-04-04
DR.. R. E. JOHNSTON
KILLED BY PATIENT
While Taking His Temperature -Mysteri-
ous Weapon Cannot be Found

The Hospital for the Insane at this
place last night was the scene of terri
BILE tragedy DIR. r. Erskine Johnston,
one of the members of the medical staff,
was killed by an insane patient, an Ital-
ian named Caprio, who had been an
inmate of the Hospital for many years.
Caprio, who was confined in the tenth
ward, although of treacherous nature,
was not considered especially violent or
dangerous.
Yesterday about noon he took his bed;
he was not especially i'll, but had some
fever. About O'Clock last evening DR..
Johnston entered the patients room to
take his temperature. Caprio warned
the physician to keep away from his bed.
DR.. Johnston called to his assistance an
attendant named Roy Rishel, who held
one of the patients hands while the
physician took the other to examine his
pulse. Caprio, taking both nurse and
physician unawares, wrested both hands
loose and with his right fist clenched de-
livered three blows upon the doctors
body, one taking effect on the left side,
one on the breast at the base Of the
heart and another OH the left jaw.
DR.. Johnston arose to his feet, but
seemed to suffer keenly from the effect
of the blows. The attendant asked per-
mission to send for one of the other
physicians, but the doctor declined. He
stepped into the hall where moment
later he tainted DR.. Robbins was then
called, but found it was too late to be of
any service, as DR.. Johnston was already
dying. The latter was able to articuate
couple of words and then expired.
Upon examining the body, where each
of the blows took effect, the flesh was
found punctured as if by slender nee
dle-like Instrument, which the patient
might have held in his hand.
The wounds were of uncertain depth
and nothing but an autopsy would show
whether they pierced any vital organ or
death resulted from the shock. The
blow upon the jaw, it was explained last
evening, might have produced concus
sion of the brain, itself fatal in its effects.
The most serious wound, however, is the
one upon the breast, where the puncture
in all probability pierced the sternum or
breast bone and came in contact with
the heart.
Caprio and his room were carefully
searched, but no trace of a weapon of
any sort could be found. The patient
of course had ample time to conceal the
fatal instrument if there had been any
place to hide it, which there was not.
Thus far the one mystery connected with
the affair is what the insane man did
with the weapon. There is heat reg
lister, or ventilator opening into the wall
which would have proved an effectual
means of getting rid of anything of that
sort, but it is foot or more higher than
the tallest man can reach. Yet who
knows but that Caprio gifted with the
ingenuity which goes with insanity may
not have found some means of reaching
the register.
How Caprio procured the instrument
is nearly as great mystery as what he
did with it. There can, of course, be
but one conclusion aud that is that it
was fashioned by his own hands. sur
reptitiously, at odd moments. He may
have got hold of a spoon, which be
worked down to fine point, piece of
corset steel would have done as well or
anything of the sort.
An autopsy was held last evening by
the physicians Of the Hospital staff as
sisted by DR.. Z. A. Curry of this city.
The result was withheld last night but
will be made known at the inquest,
which will take place at 2 p. m. today.
DR.. Johnston, who had charge of the
Infrmary at the Hospital, was an able
physician and an accomplished gentle
man. He was "a years of age and had
been a member of the staff since 1895.
On January Sth last he was married to
Miss Augusta Sweisfort of this city, his
wife surviving him. He is also survived
by father and mother, both quite aged,
who reside at New Wilmington, this
state
Neglect And Non-Support.
Emanuel Keefer Tuesday afternoon
L 1