The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-02-03
FELL ALMOST TWENTY FEET
AND THEN STARTED SOUTH
WARD TOWARD HIS HOME
NEAR BRookvILLE, INDIANA
BLOODY TRACKS IN SNOW.
When He Was Found He Was TWO
And One-Half Miles South Of the
Hospital and Was 5urro"ing Into
The Ground.

Attempting to burrow into the snow
covered and frozen ground. Adolph
Schmidt. a patient at the Eastern In
diana hospital for the insane, was
found at an early hour yesterday
morning in Il most horrible condition.
Schmidt managed To escape from the
institution, taking advantage OF a fif-
teen minutes absence by the guard,
squeezed through an extension win
dow that would raise but seven inch
es, dropped to the grour and started
south toward his home. which is near
Brookville, in Franklin county.
Schmidt had neither shoes nor hat
and was clad only in his night cloth
ing but he gave the cold no heed and
reached a point two and a half miles
away before he was found.
Schmidt was carried to barn on the
John Haas farm which is about one
mile south of the country club. by two
farmer lads, where he died. Shortly
after he expired. hospital searching
party arrived and took the remains of
the unfortunate man TO Easthaven.
The tragedy which occurred yester-
day morning was one of the most pa
thetic in the history of the Eastern
Indiana hospital for the insane. The
agonized sufferings of the man must
have been beyond the descriptive
powers of any one.
Schmidt for the past five years has
been an inmate at the hospital and his
case was considered one OF the worst
at that place. Physicians had long
since given up any hope that the man
would be restored 10 any semblance
of his right mind. He always sat
dropping IN his cell, which was locat-
ed in cottage f. but his insanity never
reached the stage where he made any
vicious or violent attacks upon his at
tendants.
In the past six weeks he seemed TO
possess desire TO scape. On sever
al different instances these attempts
were all but successful. Saturday.
while d guard was in charge of the
man taking him 10 the hospital dining
room. Schmidt, with a violent tug.
| jerked from his guard and attempted
! to flee from the institution. He was
!
where he grew morose His glarins
and wild eyes surveyed every nook Snd
corner in the small apartment. as il
| they were searching for some crevicc
| through which he might crawl The
guard made the assertion that he
| glanced every few seconds at the small
extension window. which by force
| could be raised no more than seven
inches. As the day progressed cold
smile played over his features and the
burning lare in his eyes was heightsn-
! ed.
! No attempt was made TO escape until
445 O'Clock Sunday morning. The
guard left Schmidt apparently sleep
| ing and answered a call in a remote
part of cottage +. Wk1n he return
! eu fifteen minutes later. the man vas
! gone. A glance al the small window
! which was open. told 70 the attendant
! the story of the escape. Authorities
and attendants al the Institution were
! Immediately warned and the alarm.
. which is more disliked at the institu-
! tion than all others, IAN inmate has
| escaped flew from mouth 10 mouth.
| Searching parties were Immediately or
ganized TO search the grounds and
/ buildings. as il was thought that even
a man suffering the most violent at
tacks OF mental arrangement, would
not venture TO leave the grounds clad
In the thin attire which Schmidt wore
| the night previous.
The scape and dash fer freedom ana
home Schmidt made, was sensational
and pathetic.
| With violent effort. which must have
been used. the man pIobably thinking
OF his home and loved ones in Brook
vile. Ind, forced himself through the