The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-02-03

small space between the "IHdo" anu
sill. He apparently clambered
through this feet foremost, for had he
crawled head first he would have been
dashed to death on the frozen ground
twenty feet below.
wild cry of delight characteristic
oI the insane, must have escaped the
man as he found his footing and also
found that he was able to walk.
With his night clothes blown closely
around his body by the wild wind
which was bowling at the time,
schmidt ran across the Pennsylvania
Iairoad tracks, straight down Eastha-
Ven avenue. through the Sutton farm
and south part of the Country CLUB,
past the home Of John Haas and fell to
The ground exhausted half mile south
OIL the Haas home.
Tracks Of naked feet were left in the
snow. These became bloody as the
man continued his wild and desperate
dash for freedom. He encountered
barbed wire fence dividing the Haas
farm and the Country club golf links.
He apparently paid no heed, but crash
ed into this headlOng. Here il was
that be was badly cut by the barbS
and a portion Of the small amount OF
clothes he had on were torn from him.
In desperation, probably thinking only
Of his probable pursuers, he must have
viciously torn himself from the EN-
bracing clutches Of the barbs.
Blood tracks at this point became
noticeable. Drips Of blood here and
there in the snow indicated that the
man was wounded in various other
PAGES on his body. Down through the
cOrnfield and toward the home Of John
I1aas the man continued. He reach
cd the Haas home and attempted to
gain entrance. Mr.. Haas was i'll in
bed and could not answer the noise at
the door. His wife started to open
the portal when she had a premonition,
she asserts. that there might be an eS-
capped patient from Easthaven, at the
door. She ran to the window and there
q horrible sight greeted her eyes.
With a drawn face, agony written Ill
every line, hair disheveled, and blood
running down his face, nightclothes
torn in shreds, the man stood on the
which greeted Mrs Haas. that she
screamed and ran to her son for assist
ance. The young lad, who is but sew
.enteen years of age, responded to the
alarm. Being SO small physically, he
aid not care to cope with this big bur-
ly. wild man, who was now just leaving
the Haas home to continue his mad
flight for freedom. The boy ran to
the Railsback home a short distance
away from which point he. with War
ner Raisback, another young lad, pur-
sJed the man.
They followed the bloody tracks to
Clear creek. Here it was discovered
that Schmidt had crossed the ice but
It had broken with him. The lads
then seen at a distance the most pitt
full sight they probably will ever see.
Down on his hands and knees. eXbaus-
ted with the cold and almost encased
in ice, struggled the man who was at
tempting to procede in this manner.
He had become exhausted and rather
than stop, he attempted to go farther
in this manner. He continued trav-
cling this way for almost two hundred
yards.
When the two young boys approach
ed the man, he was apparently at
tempting to burrOW a hole in the
ground to protect his frozen body
from the vicious winds and wildly
driven snow He Strengthened up when
the lads approached as If a stag at
bay His eyes flashed and he groaned
g., Nl,- h{,,o
but the only word he spoke was.
Richmond
With a gasp, and a panied look on
his blood besmeared face, the man
sank TO the ground unable to move
farther. At this juncture, John Bau-
mer a neighboring farmer. who had
seen the insane man coming toward
his home and had witnessed his at
tempt to burrow into the ground, join
ed the two lads and wrapping him in
a horse blanket carried him to the
Haas barn a half mile back, where the
man died
His limbs and body were almost fro
zen stiff. Icicles were formed be-
tween his toes. while frozen blood on
the stained face and in his disheveled
hair formed picture horrible to look
upon. The wide open, CLASSY, glazing
eyes added TO the horror Of the scene
OF rs looks.
Shortly after the man breathed his
last and as he lay cold in death on
the barn floor. a searching party from
Easthaven arrived. The remains were
taken to local undertaking morgue
Sunday morning from which point the
body will be removed to his home near
Brookville
News of the early morning tragedy
spread like wild fire and many Rich
mond people went west to the nation
al road. and followed the course pur-
sued by the man, by the blood prints
In the snow.