The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-09-26
SURGEON FIGHTS
WlTH.MADMANO ON .
OCEAN STEAMER [:
sTokER BEREFT OF REASON
HOLDS VESSELS DOCTOR CAP
TIVE; THREATENING HIM WITH
PAIR or SCISSORS AND A SHARP
SURGICAL KNIFE-sEAMAN RE-
SORTED TO RusE.
Threw Pepper Into Eyes Of the Mad
Man, But Even Then He Fought oes.
perateIy and it was Found Neees.
sary to Shoot Him.

NEW YORK, Sept. 2B.-The White
Star line steamship Majestic, which
arrived at quarantine late last night
from Southampton. cherbourg and
Queenstovn, brought the story Of .
desperate and almost tragic battle
4hatocchred in the ships surgery one
night during the voyage.
Riverdale French, the ships physi-
elan, narrowly escaped death at tie
hands Of mailman, one Of the stokers
Of the vessel, who locked both him
self and the doctor in the surgery, anu
who finally had to be Shot down by an
officer of the ship.
The stoker, Patrick sheehan, will be
removed to hospital when the ship
docks tomorrow morning, He is ser
iously, but not fatally wounded. stoK-
er sheehan tried to throw himself
overheard shortly after the boat left
Queenstown, and Or. French ordered
the man sent to the surgery for an ex-
animation.
Scarcely had the fireman entered
his office when he quickly turned and
double locked the heavy door. Then
he seized a pain of scissors, as well as
a sharp surgical kuife which were
hanging on the wall. All this was
done in flash, the door being barred
before the sailor accompanying the
stoker had a chance to force his way
inside. The sailor. however, gave tile
alarm.
Captain Hayes, several under Off
GERS, and dozen seamen assembled
at the surgery. and looking through
the grating in the locked door could
see the mailman; a great heavy fellow,
standing over the doctor, man OF
slight stature, who sat quietly in his
chair. Indeed, 1t was the nerve and
coolness Of, the surgeon that saved
him from being hacked to pieces by
the insane man.
A violent onslaught on tie door
would have signalled the doctors
death, and the men outside pleaded
with him to open the door, but he
paid no attention to them. He re-
mained by the door, brandishing his
knife and shears. Eventually the
crowd in the narrow passageway de-
cided upon a new plan Of action. The
latticed grating in the top OF the door
was slowly and cautiously dhscrewed,
and finally removed. To direct shee'
hans attention, two OF the seamcn
continued their pleadIngs in loud
tones. A few minutes later, the mad
stoker was induced to turn toward the
door, whereupon he was blinded by
mass Of pepper. thrown full In his
eyes through the opening in the :san'
som.
sheehan slashed wlIEly at the doc
tor, but the latter bad slipped from
his chair and unlocked the door. shee'
han, partly seeing AMI partly feeling
his way, followed bi!nlly. In thu pas
sageway he was floored by 9 dozen
men. but he hurled them of. A sec.
ond attempt to subdue the maniac was
equally unsuccessful.
This time several Of the men felt
the points Of both shears and knife
Ibut none was seriously cut and the
Ibattle was continued in the small pas,
sageWay., ,The stoleer started for Third
Onlcsr Norris trying q stab him n
so detense the otllcet was forced tc
sho0t me bnfiet en efed Sheehan;