The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-02-13
"A WILD FRESHMAN
Terrified the Inhabitants of
RuletOn, Sherman County.
Prancing Around Devoid of
Clothing or Shoes.
BUILT LIKE "A GIANT.
Had His Wardrobe Buried in a
Straw Stack.
His Skin Blue as Pigeon
When Captured.
Insane Miner Wandered Over
the Colorado Line.
BUILT LIKE "A GIANT.


Naked in a field near Ruletens ia win
ter weather, j. w. Shea an Irishman
with giant physique, was captured at
the point of a revolver oy H. C. Sweet,
a real estate man of Stockton, Kan,
says the GoodIand Republic.
Shea, who wandered into Sherman
county from Colorado and presumed
to be insane. was Brought to GoodIand
and put in charge of Sheriff Bradley.
The neighborhood of Ruleton had been
terrified with the presence of the man
from the mines. who went through
queer antics and gestures. and undress-
ed and dressed himself with startling
Fapidity. He worked so fast at it that
he. tore his underclothes all to pieces,
and when he was driven to where he
had at last hid his garments his. panta-
looms and coat were the only things that
did not resemble a rag bag
Mike Ryan, deputized by Sheriff
Bradley. sock Shea to Burlington, Col,
and turned him over to the Kit Carson
county authorities. as he was held to be
simply a wanderer across the line into
Kansas. and subject to the state of Col
orado.
MI. Sweet. Who was in sherman
county on land business, accompanied
by Frank DeciOus, was making Il drive
in the west part of the county, near
Ruleton, to look at a tract OF land. They
( found the quiet little town very much
excited over a crazy man tnat had been
driven out. From RuletOn, they drove
about a mile and d half southeast where
| the land in question was located, and
there in a stubble field they ran across
I the fellow. entirely nude and hustling
hither and thither ostensibly to keep
the weather from freezing him. His skin
was as blue as d pigeon, and his person
extremely sOiled with dirt and coal dust.
Driving out where he was, Mr.. Sweet
arrested him at the point Of a revolver.
When questioned as to where his clothes
were, the insane man pointed to straw
stack, in which he had burT0Wed and
established his wardrobe. Sweet made
him dress himself, and then took him
as a passenger to Ruleton where ne
telegraphed Sheriff Bradley at GoOdland
to come and take Shea in charge.
He was anything but an attractive
CTeat ure,' said Sweet jim telling. OF the
incident. IF Ifdiflh Tesee the wild lffail
Of Borneo today. then nea#sr. eXpeet
to see him. He was built like giant,
and there would have been little cause
to have tackled him if he had provided
himself with any weapons OF DEFENSE.
Shea was within sight Of the Charles
Aim place. and you can imagine the
terror that such an object would strike
into the heart of a woman with her
husband defender away from home.
This was the predicament of Mrs. Aim,
for her husband had left that day fNr
Kanorado to do some trading. 1 am
glad I came that way"
The unfortunate fellow, when ques-
toned in Goodland, gave his name as
]. w. Shea. and said he was native
of Dublin. Ireland. He is six feet tall
and weighs 225 pounds. He cherishes
the halucination that he has no blood
and infers that he needs no clothing
His arrangement was caused by an in
! jury to his head. In jumping from a
moving train his head struck switch
post, causing an indentation of the skull
/ bone. DR. Carmichael, county physician,
examined Shea. Tt was aseertaina BILE
/ that he had been working in the mines
/ i'm Colorado He said: 'Ah, those poor
miners; they go down in the dark shaft;
they stoop and drive tunnels From the
ceiling overhead, big rocks hang down.
They fall down some times and the
miner is dead 'un. He had better
been out here in Kansas. There is moth
ing to fall down here on a mans head
/ but the sky" He gave his age as So.