The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-27
DR.. Mckee Makes State
ment About Maniac.
TREATED HUMANITY
Sensational Report Published in Other
Papers Was Derogatory to the Ef-
fiCiency of the Attendants in the
Asylum, and Contained False
Statements.
Statements.

There were published yesterday,
but not in the News and Observer,
sensational accounts of the escape and
death of a desperate man at " Cen
trail Hospital here Thursday after
noon. These reports reflected upon
the asylum authorities and attendants
in their treatment of the wild man,
and the lurid relation of the affair did
injustice to that great institution.
In every institution of this kind
there are maniacs who give frequent
trouble, some running away at every
opportunity. Thomas II. Nall the
lunatic who escaped Thursday, was
considered the most dangerous man in
the asylum, and was sly, fearless and
seemed to possess a spirit of intre-
Iidity. He had threatened the life of
several persons, and extraordinary
care was taken of him during his per-
iods of insanity. He was thirIy-five
years of age, and since his death it
has been disclosed that his insanity
was not caused by typhoid fever, but
menengitiS. common cause of in
sanity, and from which it is said per-
son never RECEIVERS.
The following statement of the &C.
currence and its circumstances was
distated to News and Observer re-
porter by DIR. James Mckee. Superin-
tendent of the asylum, in the presence
of every man who was connected with
the escape and capture of the maniac,
and they everyone confirmed it's truth
fullnesS:
mall came to us from Chatham
county, December 20, 1904, under d
legal commitment from the clerk of
court. with the history of having been
mentally disturbed after GONZALES
cence from a prolonged attack of ty-
phoid fever. He remained here under
treatment until Jan. H. 1905, when he
made his escape from a ward in the
annex of the old buildin~ by remov-
ing the screws from the window guard
by means of a piece of sheet iron,
which he obtained while out at walk
He let himself out of this window and
dropped a distance of eighteen feet
and walked to Bear Creek, Chat
ham county q distance of
sixty miles. His threats to kill his
father and those who were implicated
in sending him to the hospital terror
lied the family, and they importuned
me with kilograms to send for him,
which l did and had him returned to
the hospital. After his return, which
was the 22nd of January, he was mo-
rose. taciturn and stubborn; so much
so that we would not let him go out
to work with able bodied patients who
are required to- work in the interest
of their health He was kept con-
fined in the wards. doing duty in them
and on the corridors Under this
work and lack of out of door exercise
he took on considerable flesh, behav-
ing himself at times in very sane
manner, and at others in very insane
manner. During his periods of lunacy
he was inclined to be pugnacious and
vile. The night before his efforts to
escape he again obtained a piece of
sheet iron and endeavored to remove
the screws from the window guards,
but as this was in the old building,
which is much more secure than the
annex. he failed in his efforts When
taken out to work on the afternoon
of the gath, after dinner, under the
care of five attendants, all of them
but one being new men. he tore
aloose a Stat 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 they
paid little attention to it. But this
man broke and ran, gaining about 100
yards ahead of the attendants before
they could arrange to have two take
charge of the walking party. He ran
through fields of corn, ploughed land,
Streaks of wood, in. the direction of the
colOred cemetery. coming in contact
with a barbed wire fence, which he
fell over, and then turned and went
in the direction of the Phosphate
Mills, coming in contact with second
portion of this barbed wire fence.
Reaching the road he saw wagon
standing in the road and the attend
ants saw him mount the wagon and