Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-11-01

l am not prosecuted for stealing the
| horse and burning the barn, and 1 will
reveal the names that was in the plot.
| but Frank Johnson was perfectly inno-
cent. took 1915 out of Faust's house.
found it in the closet This statement
| is perfectly true and | hope it will be
sent to Franks relatives and also in
| form the authorities at Marshalltown. /
feel story today that l ever had any
thing to dol with burning the property.
| (Signed) &C. f. RAWLINS."
FAUST'S STORY.
Faust has prepared a written state
| ment of his case. That portion dealing
with his seizure after his release from
| the Fort Madison penitentiary after
| serving two years and six months of his
sentence, is as follows:
Il was discharged from the peniten-
tiary at Fort Madison on June and
before could get out of town, was ar
rested by so-called officers who said L
was wanted on a/charge of forgery in
Illinois. was loaded into a buggy and
taken across the Mississippi river put
on train ard taken thru Streator and
locked up in hospital. l was then TAX
en- to many asylums after which | was
locked up in Toledo They took me over
the Baltimore & OHIO railroad from
Chicago My body was locked up in
irons so tight / could not get away The
straps and handouts were removed
from my arms and legs Just outside the
administration building at Toledo and
was compelled to march into the asy-
ium. There l was locked UP with lot
of incurable patients in the strong ward
which had bars across the windows and
doors.
II was always allowed to go to the
chapel Sunday nights and on the night
of May 5. when / was in the line of
march 1 made a bold break for my lib
erty. 1 was soon caught and returned
to the strong ward and guarded closely.
But was determined to escape.
ION the night of August 26 ! removed
a grating, twelve by fourteen inches.
from an air shaft or ventiiating cham
Der and crawled thru this space TO the
bottom. thirty feet below. / then dug
thru the heavy wall, This took me until
O'clock in tie morning. BY this means
/ gained admittance to the basement
from where / accomplished my escape
thru window.
II went straight to Bowling and re-
ported the matter to a number of at
torneys. They told ME to shave off my
moustache and come back to Iowa. l
did this and made my way safely to H.
linois. There i was met oy my brother
and we wrote to Toledo telling the asy-
lum officers that / was there. ! am able
to identity all who was in the plot
against me.
After reaching Iowa and joining my
wife, whom / found still true after all
these years. ] began to make an effort
to vindicate myself. My wife had writ
ten to Warden Jones at Fort~Madison.
but was unable to get any information
from him. My relatives did all they
could to locate ME but failed.
II have recovered my horse that was
stolen during the night of the fire and
have also located Frank johnson.
1.-THE money that was stolen out of my |
house on that night of the fire | re-
ceived few days before for the sale of
hogs / reported this to Sheriff Mills at
the time and gave him 81 to have
cards printed. Ny dog was shot on the
night of the fire which burned up about |
$500 worth of property. ] had $4,000 in |
surance with the Hawkeye Insurance
company of Dies Moines company |
had been with for eight years.
Il was examined by DIR. +. d. Halieck |
at Bowling Green and by DR.. Shepard of
Findley. They both told me was not |
insane and that DIR. Nelson Young of |
Toledo had no right to hold me on that |
charge. ! swear this statement is true.
JAMES r. FAUST.
The records of the Ohio asylum show |
that Faust was committed to the :nsti-
tuition from Tiffin, Seneca county. April |
10. and that while he was kindly and |
we'll disposed, he had Authorizations OF |
persecution; that he escaped twice, but |
returned of his own accord the first
time. Faust is looking we'll and talks
in a more intelligent manner than he
did Just prior to his arrest here and
during the progress of the trial, when
his actions indicated that he was OF
unsound mind. He is residing at pres
ent with his family at Clarence, and in
tends to re-engage in farming.