The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-09-01
Coroner to Probe Death OF
Lunatic.
Continued from Page One.)

| the hospital and walked to his home
| in Chatham county. While there he
| threatened violence to his family and
was taken back by their request. He
was considered so violent as to be a
danger to the public when at large.
Thorough Investigation Proper.
While it is of course important that
| inmates of the dangerous type of Nall
| should be captured when trying to es-
cape, the fact that death resulted so
soon after, capture, the condition of
the man with respect to wounds and
the fact that there had been an ad-
mitted struggle between the attend
ants and the fugitive are all matters
which demand investigation. Whatever
the justification, the chasing of a man
so that he dies when he is a charge
of the State is something which the
people of a right demand to know in
detail. 1t is regretta BILE that the SUI
perintendent, satisfied as he no doubt
is in his own mind as to the facts, did
not think proper to order at once a
full complete and public enquiry into
all the facts. Following the suggestion
Of the Governor and on his own
initiative, he will of course see
that the matter is sifted to the bottom.
If the attendants have been criminally
liable for the death or the patient, or
render the capture more dangerous to
him than necessary. the facts should
be known IT, on the other hand, they
are not to blame, they should be re-
lieved by evidence OF an unavoidable
suspicion, which the fact of the death
fastenG upon them.
Those who know Dr. Mckee will
know that the statement Of Massey
that he treated the affair lightly is
not true. What he stated about the
Stat having been used by the maniac
instead of by the attendants was
doubtless based on reports from them
TO him and the circumstance that Nall
was a violent man and that-he was IN
possession of the weapon would be
evidence to bear out that contention.
It will be noted that Massey saw moth
ing. He states that he heard blows
and heard Nall say he would give up
and that he heard blows after that
statement from him. The last allega-
ton is certainly one of the greatest Sc
riousnesc.
Dissatisfaction i'm Chatham.
The Chatham Record has this to
say about the occurrence, which is an
additional reason for the investigation:
1.-The corpse of Mr.. Nall was sent
home by express, arriving at Bear
Creek station on last Saturday but
the family Cou1u not get II uiitii IiiCy
had paid s66. of which sum SIS were
the express charges and $50 were the
charges of the undertaken ~ Raleigh.
1t was with great difficulty this
amount could be raised by the family,
his father being an old Confederate
soldier of the Twenty sixth regiment,
who lost a leg at Gettysburg
THE family of Mr.. Nall are not
satisfied with the action of the asylum
authorities and think that a coroner's
inquest should have been held at RAJ
eigh An impartial inquest according
TO law would have removed all doubts
as to the cause of the unfortunate
mans death. The next grand jury OF
Wake county may be called upon to
investigate the matter thoroughly.
Names of Attendants Involved.
The names of the attendants at the
hospital who pursued and captured
Nall and who are charged with Mas
sey with having beaten him to death
are W. S. Durham, who was first 10
reach the fugitive insane man, j. {.
King, L. r. High and Jack Peele. The
last named however, came up after
the other three had been struggling
with and had partially subdued Nall.