Evening star., 1907-09-04
POLITICIAN GOES INSANE
FLoRRIE SULLIVAN ENDEAVoRs
TO JUMP INTO THE SEA.
Scared Passengers on the Kronprinz
Wilhelm-Sent Advice by Wire
less to President Roosevelt.

NEW YORK, September 4-Florrie Sulli-
van. Tammany leader OF the eighth assem-
bly, district returned yesterday from
health seeking trip to Europe in so bad
shape mentally that he will never be able
again even to cast vote In his political
baiIiwick He went stark mad Monday
morning when the Kronprinz Wilhelm, on
which he was a passenger, was within T"o
miles of this port and made an effort to
jump into the sea.
He had been under constant surveillance
from the moment he boarded the ship at
Bremen, and although he is tall and broad
and strong he was match for the stall
wart Teutonlc stewards who were assigned
to keep him In order He tried to toss his
suit case overheard. but found close by an
alert blond German who SnatChed 1t away
from him.
Coming up the bay yesterday afternoon
Mr.. Sullivan seemed TO have gotten grip
on himself He stood on the promenade
deck forward and admired the ethereal
architecture of his town. Less than an
eighth of a mile ahead of him he noted the
Hamburg liner Bremen. aboard of which
was the body of the great detective, Robert
A. Plnkerton He recalled that he had gone
away with Mr.. Pinkerton early in August.
and turning to Judge Herman Josephs of
the municipal court he remarked:
well. judge. I'm coming back pretty
sick but I'm a little better than Bob. who
is just ahead of us. He's coming back as
freight
In German Sanitarium.
Judge Josephs said that he was requested
by friends OF Mr. Sullivan to bring him
back to New York. The judge found him at
a sanitarium at Frankfort-on-th Main In
pretty bad physical and mental shape. He
was then perfectly docile, however, and
was willing to accompany the judge back
to America
The Judge said that he and his friends
had sent messages to the friends of Mr..
Sullivan in New York urging them to come
to Frankfort and take charge of the pa
tient. They received no response TO their
messages. and thev inferred that the leader
of the eighth was going TO be abandoned
on German soil. Later it was found that
the friends of Mr.. Sullivan did not want to
make his condition known to the public.
and they inferred that-it would be known
IL they answered the messages. A half
brother of Mr.. Sullivan. Henry Perry, had
already been sent across the sea TO take
charge of the demented politician. Sulli-
vans friends thought that was the best
way to avoid publicity.
Perry sailed by the Hamburg-A
liner Amerfka. which passed the kronprinz
Wilhelm and got into wireless communfca-
tion with her. Judge Josephs had been
made aware of the departure of Perry by
the Amerka and he sent a wireless mes
sage to him telling him to come back, as
Mr. Sullivan was aboard the KronprinZ.
Nobody on the KronprinZ Wilhelm sgs-
pected that Mr.. Sullivan was insane until
Monday. Up to that period he had been
rational but somewhat moody. with ten
dencv to talk to himself. When the out
break came Capt. Nierich of the steamer
wanted to put Mr. Sullivan into a strait
Jacket Judge Josephs said that he would
be responsible for his future behavior.
Efforts at Restraint.
of rio "a
aboard the ship had become much interest
as anxious as Judge Josephs to get him
into New York without. hurting his feel
ings Among the men who helped to re-
strain Mr.. Sullivan were David Mcclure.
the lawyer. of this city: DR.. Elmer L.
Biggs of Hot Springs. Ark, and Dr. Rey-
mold Webb Wilcox of this. city.
The only physician who could do any
thing with him was DIR. Biggs. who finally
subdued him with morphine. Mr.. Sullivan
asked Dr. Biggs TO prescribe for his nerv-
ousneSs and the doctor. told him that what
he really needed was hiShball. Surrepu-
tiously the doctor introduced into the high
ball a quantity of morphine. A half hour
later Mr.. Sullivan was sleeping serenely In
his berth.
Before the dope began to work. however
the giant district leader had terrorized the
ship. While on the promenade deck on
liam X. Vanderbilt Jr.. into refuge In the
library by a remark that he made about
her husband. He had been walking fore
and aft gesticulating and Grating and driv-
ing most of the women who were seated
In their steamer chairs taking the air to
the other side of the ship or to the library.
music room or into the main saloon. While
ne was opposite Mrs. Vanderbilt ne re-
marked:
Wants Vanderbilt.
"Vanderbilt's aboard this ship and I've
got to see him."
The tone of his voice and his manner
were so threatening that Mrs. Vanderbilt
appeared to think that something might
happen to her husband and she sought him
Immediately afterward and told him what
Big Florrie had said. He did not express
any fear as like most of the other passen-
gers he had the impression that the stall
wart leader was harmlessly insane.
The day before his mania tock violent
turn Mr.. Sullivan insisted upon sending
wireless messages to Mr.. Roosevelt telling
the President how he might capture for
the republican party the voters of the
eighth assembly district. The messages
were semi-coherent. In order to keep him
in placid temper his friends delivered to
Presidents name attached He appeared
to he satisfied with the answers.
Mr. Sullivan was met at the pier by State
Senator Christie Sullivan. who took him
away in a cab 1t was said that he would
fytf a nil r