The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-15
Superintendent of Insane Asy-
lum Assaulted by Employees.
f. NJ. Hollywood and William
keeney Were Arrested.
ADVANCE PAY WANTED.
When This Was Refused EN-
pIOyer Was Clicked.
Cries for Help Brought Attend
ants to the Rescue.

As a result of little delay in receiv-
ing their pay two attendants at the To-
peka asylum, who entertained an in
tense desire to leave their jobs and
hasten into the harvest fields to handle
the wheat, assaulted Superintendent
Biddle and handled him roughly Friday
might. F. NJ. Hollywood. one of the at
tendants pleaded guilty and paid ten
dollars and costs for his part in the ex-
citement. The other. William Keeney,
was not prosecuted. Such care was ex-
ercised in sealing up the matter from
the public that the city court officials
forgot" about it at the time and failed
to recollect until it brought to their
attention by reporter today.
Hollywood, who is from Cloud county,
and Keeney, who comes from Anderson,
had been employed a the asylum about
six months. DR.. Biddle says that under
their employment contract they are re-
quired to give fifteen days notice of
their desire to quit. They informed him
that they wanted to leave Immediately
last Friday and asked for the pay due
them. They were told they could go but
would have to wait for their money I'M
til the regular pay day came.
Il was simply following out the usual
custom of paying off employees, said
DR.. Biddle this morning. Il did not at
tempt to hold the men to their contract
10 WOIk 0ll6tn QdyS lOLScIs w dA : AAON
particularly short of help and 1 was
ready to let them go but had to hold
their pay until it was allowed with the
regular pay roll of the institution. 1t
was because I refused to advance them
their money that the two men attacked
me. 1 filed the complaint against them
in the city court. Hollywood plead
guilty and dismissed action against
the other man. There wasn't any effort
to suppress the story that 1 know Of
The two attendants claim that DR..
Biddle refused to extend to them the
courtesy that is commonly given en-
ployes when they are anxious to quit
work on short notice. They say 1t is
the custom for the steward to pay them
out of his private funds and to get his
money from their vouchers when they
come due. This is what they wanted
Dr. Biddle to do but they say he re-
fused because he needed them to work
They first approached the superintend-
ent in the morning but their proposition
was refused. They went out and con-
suited about it and returned in the
evening to renew their demand for pay
ment and dismissal. Upon his refusal
to comply the two men assailed the SUI
perintendent and attempted to get their
moneys worth of satisfaction out OF
pummelling his person. One of them
took him by the throat and squeezed
until he needed breath but the doctor
managed to wriggle out of the mans
grip long enough to yell for help.
Then with the nlsht Ndtchildh anu
some of the other employees to the res
cue, DR. Biddle was released and the
two beIicose attendants withdrew. 1t
is stated that the two attendants were
then given their money and discharged
Keeney was let off because DR.. Biddle
held Hollywood responsible as prime
mover and instigator of the insured
ton In their combined attack DR.. Bid
die was not seriously damaged. He was
able to appear and issue complaint for
their arrest Hollywood beat the mar
shall to the court and entered a plea of
guilty before he could be arrested.