The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-09-01

violently insane, was pursued Dy TWO
guards or attendants of the hospital
for several hundred yards. and when
finally captured was so beaten that
he afterwards died from the effects of
his injuries In the News and Obser-
YER of last Sunday there was published
a full statement of the matter from
DR.. Mckee, in which he explained the
wounds borne by the man after his
capture, and attributed his death to
heart failure. possibly caused by the
rupture of blood vessel through over
exerticn The fact that the escaping
man fought desperately with his pur-
suers so that all three fell over a cut
onto the railroad track near the Cara
leigh Mills. could of course, very rea-
Sonably be taken to account for the
wounds and bruises received.
1t is now charged by the man Mas
sey, however. that after the capture of
the heeing man, who had jumped on
his wagon and attempted to drive off
before taking to flight on foot that at
ter the capture of Nall he had distinct
ly heard blows raned upon him by the
two attendants who had caught him.
Faced with these specific charges,
Governor Glenn felt that the circum-
stances warranted a full and complete
investigation, taking occasion TO say.
however, that his letter was not to be
considered in any way censure of
DR.. Mckee or the hospital manage
ment. but that he considered that all
superintendents owed themselves and
the public the duty to make thor
ough investigation in all cases of this
character to the end that the public
might know all the facts.
The serious portion of Mr.. Massey 5
statement is printed below. 1t will be
remembered that Nall, carrying a
heavy slat, had jumped in Mr.. Mas
sey's wagon and attempted to drive
away with it. Says Mr.. Massey:
The Massey Charges.
Nall had turned off the road to the
right up the path through the woods
where there is d rather steep hill. The
path starts up the hill perhaps fifty
yards south of the bridge.
After the twoi men had gone on
after Nall 1 got on my wagon and
started on. When l had crossed the
bridge and got near the foot of the
hill l stopped again.
when l stopped / heard a noise on
my right hand side up that little steep
hill as of some men scuffiing and /
could hear the sound of heavy blows
l peered up the hin and could just SEQ
that the three men were hung together
in some way.
tAll at once I heard them, as
thought hitting Nall with that slat or
board. l thought to myself they would
surely kill him, the blows sounded so
heavy After having hit him, as It
seemed to me, some ten or dozen
times / heard Nall say. I'll give up,
and then, if my recollection serves me
right. they did not hit him more than
twice after that. Then they commenc-
ed at him to lie down, and about that
time he began to pray: %, Lord! have
mercy'-and went on with something
else | could not catch. l judged from
his voice that he was making some
about his being badly hurt.
Then | thought / saw them go off on
the hillside somewhat northWard.
Il was at least thirty yards from
them and the noise of those blows
could have been heard at least ten or
fifteen yards more away. | am abSo-
Iutely certain. beyond any doubt that
it was Nall who said: III give up I
felt pretty bad over it and didn't tarry
there. I met T. l.. Jones and told him
about it. and when l got home | tolG
my folks | thought the man would
surely die.
"When | heard he was dead | was
not at all surprised, and | felt tnat
[ ought to tell what ! had seen and
heard. and so on Monday l went and
told DR. Mckee at the asylum about
it. He made rather light OF it and said
those Iicks l heard must have been laid
on the attendants by Nall"
DIR. McKcc's Statement.
From the interviews with Dr. Mckee
published on last Sunday, the following
extracts are taken:
''Wnen taken out 20 work on the at
ternoon of the 24th, after dinner. un
der the care of five attendants, all of
them but one being new men, he tore
loose a slat from a seat which is pro-
vided for them to sit on, and SWore
that he was going away. and was not
coming back alive. These threats are
SO common with attendants that the1
paid little attention to 1t. But this
man broke and ran. gaining about 10h
Yards ahead of the attendants before
they could arrange to have two take
charge of the walking party. He ran
through corn fields, ploughed land.
streakS of wood in the direction of the
colored cemetery, coming in contact
with brbed wire fence, which he fell
over, and then turned and went in the
direction of the Phosphate Mills. COM
ing in contact with a second portion
of this barbed wire fence Reaching
the road he saw a wagon standing in
the road, and the attendants
saw him mount the wagon and
strike the driver, who got out of the
wagon. The mules not going fast
enough for him he quit the wagon,
especially when he saw a new attend
ant entering the chase after him. Be
fore he reached the top OF the hill
which was quite steep the other side
of Walnut creek, and was watching
the attendant who was trailing him,
the fresh attendant seized him, and
a struggle ensued. the patient or
maniac having the weight and the
desperation to aid him in making a
fight for his liberty. In the mean
time the chasing attendant came up,
and the three struggled together, the
attendants trying to secure him, and
they all rolled down the embankment
and not into railroad cut. At this
juncture the other two attendants
came up, and in order to get control
of the patient one of the attendants
took his belt from his waist and tied
his hands behind him. On the way to
the mill he gave out, and they carried
him to the mills. \ telephone message
was then sent to us from the Caraleigh
mills that an escaped maniac was
giving great trouble to his attendants
and they needed help. | Immediate
ly sent the head nurse and the next
oldest nurse in the hospital IN car