The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1905-03-10
INSANE MAN CUTS
THROAT WITH KNIFE
Crazed by Drink John PehIe
Ends Life in His Apart
mentS

Believing himself surrounded by a
vast army of huge snakes and unable
to make his escape, John Pehle, 38
years old, proprietor of a saloon at 2o
East Fourth street, cut his throat, in
his apartments at the Sanford fats,
43k West Third street, a few min
utes after 4 o'clock yesterday morning.
The wound was inflicted with the
small blade of a pocket knife and sew
cred the jugular vein.
Pehle had been sick ever since Mon
day and had remained in his room.
Wednesday afternoon he was much
worse and his mind began to wander.
Late in the afternoon Pehle was per-
suaded to take walk around the block,
but was in constant terror during the
whole time he was out, saying that the
snakes were trying to bite his feet.
Wednesday evening he raved continu-
ously and several of the roomers sat
up the greater part of the night with
him.
Shortly after midnight Pehle fell
asleep and thinking the worst was over
the watchers retired with the exception
of I. A. Berrisford, who remained with
the sick man.
Pehle Runs Amuck
About 4 o'clock the stiffness was bro
ken by an unearthly yell coming from
Pehle's room. Rushing out into the
hall in their night clothes the terrified
roomers discovered Pehle rushing wild
ly about the lower hall screaming at
the top of his voice and warding off the
attacks of imaginary foes.
The mad man was finally cornered
and taken back to his room, but eluded
his captors and rushed once more out
into the hall. Selling the proprietress
of the place, Mrs. T. BENT, who had
left her room to learn the cause of the
trouble, by the waist Pehle lifted her
bodily from the ground and rushed
about the corridor. Faint from terror
the woman was unable to move and
was carried to the third floor by the
wild man, who shouted at the top of
his voice that he would save her from
the snakes.
Just as Pehle reached the top of the
landing his attention was attracted to
a snake hanging from the ceiling and
he raised both arms to pull it down.
Mrs. BENT fell from his grasp onto the
banister and losing her balance dropped
to the lower landing, a distance of ten
feet. She was not seriously injured.
By this time Pehle had returned to
the second floor and rushed into his
own room. The door was locked and
leaving A. Zollman, one of the roomers,
to watch the man, Berrisford ran for a
policeman.
Man Cuts His Throat
Left alone in the room with Zollman,
Pehle, after an attempt to get out of
the door, tried to jump through a win
dow, but was prevented by a heavy
wire screen. He then rushed into a
bathroom connected with the bedroom
and second later Zollman says he
heard a gurgling noise. Immediately
afterwards Pehle staggered out into the
bedroom with penknife in his hand
saying, Nov 1 have done it, and sank
face down on the floor.
By this time Patrolmanr Patrick
Smith had arrived on the scene, but
Pehle was dead when the policeman en-
tered the room.
The body was taken to the county
norge and later removed to the under
taking rooms, 45S st. Peter street.
Pehle has mother living at Itch
field, Mimi. and a sister, Miss Mary
Pehle, arrived in the city last night
The dead man was not married and
was formerly a janitor at the CONNER
cial club. Last summer he was seized
with an attack Of delirium tremens and
was confined at the county Jail In a
straitjacket for two weeks. The body
will be shipped to Litcfield for burial.