The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-01-09
BROKE OFFICERS JAW
Insane Youth Causes Panic at
Police Station.
JAS. HUGHES RAMPAGE
SUPPOSED THAT LUNATIC HAD
SMALLPOX.

An insane youth supposed to be al
1icted with smallpox. rushed madIy
about the streets pursued by a mob Of
Rowling hoodIums. in the business dis
trict yesterday morning The chase
ended in an exciting finale in the police
station, in which Officer Sperry sus-
tanned a broken Jaw from the en-
Iur1ated youth. The sensation on the
street was mild compared to the pitch
OF excitement that Teigned when it
was discovered at the police station, as
II was thought, th2s the youth was
fully broken out with smallpox. All
those who had come in contact with
MIN made wild rush for diSinfectantS.
saturating themselves and the station
with fOrmaidehyde until some of the
officers thought they were going TO be
embalmed alive.
The insane youth who caused all the
excitement, but who proved not to
have the smallpox. was James Hughes.
boy of l. or Is years of age, who lives
near Second South and Tenth East
streets. Rushing down the snowy
streets shouting al the top of his voice,
followed by gang Of jeeTing boys.
peiting him with snOwballs, Hughes
made his appearance at the corner of
Main and South Temple streets and
started down Main. Several men who
thought he was drunk or crazy seized
him and held him until the arrival of
Officers Sperry and Hilton in the patrol,
which had been called by no less than
a dozen people. On the way to the
station the youth persisted on standing
up in the wagon and making a ridicuI-
Gus harangue to the crowd of curious
people who followed. The trend of his
talk was all along religious mat
tiers, which seemed to indicate that he
was insane on that subject.
Hughes Broke SperTy's Jaw.
1t the police station Hughes became
quiet and crawled up on the desk at
the end Of which officer Sperry was
standing. Suddenly, he gave a vicious
kick. striking Sperry on the left tenn
pie, fracturing his jaw bone. The Of
ficer Immediately seized the violent lad
and a desperate sCuffle ensued. but
Hughes was quickly overcome by other
officers. In the scuffie his hat fell off
and it was discovered that he was
broken out with what was supposed to
be smallpox. The station was quickly
all excitement and DR.. King, who was
called, increased the excitement by
stating that he thought it was small
pOx. The pest ambulance was immedi-
ately called and Hughes was sent
home, while the officers who had come
in contact with the boy were thorough
" disinfected, as was the station. Con
siderable uneasiness was felt among
some of the officers all day, until Dr.
King later in the day discovered that
Hughes was afflicted with an eruption
and did not have smallpox, although
he came from a house where it had
been and is now under quarantine.
The young man developed signs of
insanity last Saturday and being seized
with a violent fit yesterday he slipped
out of the house and rushed up town.
Dr.. King said he seemed to be suffer
ing with acute insanity and would
probably have to be sent to the
asylum
Dr.. Witcher was called in to attend
Officer Sperry, who was severely but
not seriously hurt. The injury, he said
would cause the officer considerable diff
ficUlty in eating and would confine him
to his home for several days.