The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-08-10
NOW he IS SANE.
Joseph Healy, Who TerrOrized
Governor Leedy's Force.
Now Trying to Recover Posses
sion of Property.
HAD TWO GUARDIANS.
1. A. Strauss, of Topeka, Held
to Be Proper One.
How Healy Was Captured in
Executive Rooms.
HAD TWO GUARDIANS.

Joseph HeaIy, of Lincoln county, the
man who on March l. 1897, entered the
office of Governor Leedy armed with
two big revoIvers, threatening every
body and demanding protection from
an imaginary mob, is the central figure
In an interesting case filed yesterday in
the supreme court
Involved in the case is double guard
sanship, a conflict of authority between
the probate courts of Shawnee and Lin
coin counties in the insanity trial which
resulted from Healy's raid on the gov
ernor's Office, and the disputed author1-
ty Of l. A Strauss, ex-chief of ponce
of Topeka. who was appointed guardian
of Healy by the Shawnee county court
Healy was released from the Topeka
insane asylum in August, 1904, as cured
He is now fighting for the possession
of a valuable wheat farm IN Lincoln
county where he owned at the time OF
his escapade with Governor Leedy, ana
which was sold during his Incarceration
In the insane asylum.
HeaIy and his wife, Bridget Healy,
owned a quarter section of good farm
land in Lincoln county They needed
money. and mortgaged the farm in 1881
for 81 100 Then Mrs. Healy died, leaV-
ing her half of the farm to her huspand
and five minor children. The mortgage
was que d4Q uAlpdIOs anu
greatly over his affairs. One day he
turned up missing, and when next heard
from, he was in Topeka, trying 10 get
an audience with Governor Leedy he
met Major A. p ShreVe at Ihe ooof u
the, governors office and asked to see
the governor. Major Shreve, not reaIlz-
ing the mans condition, turned him
over to Harry H. F'leharty, Governor
Leedys private secretary
You wish to see Governor Leeoy!
said Mr. F'leharty
Yes, SIR replied the crazy man. L
must see him.
Just sit down." said Mr.. Fleharty::
1.-The governor is engaged just now Out
will soon be at liberty"
But l can not wait" said the man,
getting excited. "They are after me-
and I must see the governor right away
I can not wait, 1 tell you"
Mr.. Fleharty Immediately realized
that the man was crazy, and he as
sumed an air of careless familiarity,
''That's too bad, indeed it is. Just
come over here and sit down, ana tell
me all about it.
The man complied with the request,
but not without many suspicious
chances around the room for the ''peo-
ple' who were after him.
Who is after you? % asked Mr.
Five counties are after me and
they want to lynch me-"
Nv ny are CneY dIUer you
They say there is a girl in it, but
it lis not true. The girl and L had
case in court, but that is all there is
to it
cat o'clock this afternoon"
"Where did you stay last night?"
'I slept in a shock of corn near
Minneapolis. They were after me all
night. 1 could hear people in fine
carriages and surreyS driving around
all night looking for me to kill me,
and 1 kept as quiet as I could. But
they found my tracks in the snow and
found where I was. Then they piled
some more corn on top of the shock
and set fire to it. Then I jumped out
and shot three men, but they are still
after me-
'I will see to it that no one hurts
you" said Mr. Fleharty. 81 will order
out a company of soldiers to protect
you. Just wait here until can go and
telephone"
Fleharty went to the telephone and
called up the police station explained
the circumstances, and asked for a
couple of officers. Then he went back
to entertain his crazy friend. While
waiting for the arrival of the officers,
the crazy man got out his two pistols,
one of them a large Colts, and amused
himself by pointing them at Flehartys
head. Fleharty didn't lose his nerve.
however, and when Chief of Police
Steele arrived Fleharty calmly intro
found that he was unable to escape
from Chief Steele's handshake, and al
lowed himself to be disarmed and
taken to the station without resistance.
It happened that Sheriff S. M. Hoo
yer, of Lincoln county, was in Topeka
at the time Healy was arrested, and
Hoover went before the probate court
and swOre to warrant charging Healy
with insanity. The case was duly tried
before Judge Dolman, and Healy sent
to the Topeka asylum. 1. A. Strauss,
former chief of police, was appointed
as guardian, and gave 500 bond.
Sheriff Hoover went back to Lincoln
county, and apparently set the legal
machinery in motion there, also, for
within short time the probate court
of Lincoln county, appointed one John
F. Tinker to be guardian of Healy's
property. Tinker took charge of all the
assets, while Strauss at Topeka did
nothing whatever. Strauss was appar-
emily ignorant of the fact that Healy
had any property.
Meantime T. H. Fitzpatrick, a Lin
coin county man, bought the note and
mortgage given by Healy and his wife,
and started foreclosure proceedings, in
which he recognized Tinker as the
guardian of Healy, and caused the pa
pers to be served on him. In 1898, the
district court gave judgment for Fitz-
patrick, and the Healy farm was sold
to satisfy the Judgment. The amount
of the judgment was $1440 and Fitz-
patrick got the property by paying $50
more. Then Fitzpatrick sold the farm
TO Timothy Foran, who had been. occu-
plying it, for 1880.
Things were in this shape when JOS
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