The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-12-14
EXECUTIVE is WORRIED,
HIS FRIENDS DECLARE
Essex County Being Beaten by
SieutI,s in Effort to Cap
turc Iitzsimmons.
DEAD OR ALIVE, IS
THE GENERAL ORDER
Head of State Hurries to Tren.
ton frnm East Orange Home
Unusually Early.

Every sIeutb In ESSEX county today
i,as his eye omen for James II. Fitz-
simmons. who escaped from the Morris
pInins Insane Asylum, and who has
threatened to kill Governor Fort.
The Governor, who returned late
saturday night from weeks isolation
IN the woods of North Carolina. res
mnined clorely to his home in Enst
Orange all of yesterday md today he
left hurriedIy for Trenton, earlier than
most sane insane men are up.
Fitzsimmons was at his mothers
home, 2S7 New street. last Thursday
Five minutes before keeper from the
asylum and several detectives arrived
he escaped from the house, but he was
In Newark as late as Saturday, for on
that day letters he wrote were re-
ceived by Chief of Police Corbitt and
County Clerk Woolston. In them Fitz-
simmons declared his intention to kill
Governor Fort and asked for i'm
munity from arrest until he had ac-
complished his mission.
Chief Corbitt has had the New street
house watched since Saturday after
noon. As soon as Governor Fort ap-
preached Newark by train Saturday
evening the fact was made known to
the police and detectives met his train
and remained near him until he reached
his home in East Orange. His house
vas under police espionage all OF Sun
day and until today, when the Gov
,raor denarted. Detectives were also
car it today in case F'itzsimmons, not
.5earing of the Governors departure
might approach.
Fort worried.
although Governor Fort makes light
of the matter his intimates know that
ha is worried, perhaps as much on ac-
count of his family as for himself
AL out two weeks ago Governor Fort
made an official visit to the Morris
Plains Insane Asylum, and while there
he saw F'itzsimmons. The story which
came from the asylum at that time
and which was repeated last Thursday
by the keeper who came to Newark
for the maniac, was that when the
Governor saw Fitzsimmons mingling
with the other inmates he ordered him
locked up, saying he was dangerous
maniac who had threatened to Kill him.
The Governor said yesterday that
while at the asylum he shook hands
with Fitzsimmons and that the latter
seemed to bear no malice.
Despite the Governors orders, Fftz-
simmons escaped a week ago Saturday,
after having been there for eleven
years. He was sent to the asylum be-
cause of an hallucination that Gov
ernor Fort, then a judge was with
holding from him an estate valued at
many millions Of dollars. He had had
some litigation before Judge Fort, In
which he had lost, and this ernbittered
him against the Judge He became SO
demonstrative, and finally threatened
to kill Judge Fort, that he was declared
insane and sent to the asylum.
Located nt New Street.
At the time Of his escape several
keepers from Morris Plains came 10
Newark and spent several days search
ing for him. He was finally located IN
the home Of his mother in New street,
and the keepers went to police mead
quarters and got several detectives TO
go with them to make the capture, as
Fitzsimmons was considered now to be
an exceptionally dangerous lunatic.
Fitzsimmons was in the house few
minutes before the sleuths and keepers
arrived. He was not there when they
reached the house, and after they had
searched the place they posted guards
to keep watch.
II was then that Fitzsimmons wrote
the letters the one to Chief Corbitt
asking that the police not try to ar
rest him until he killed the Governor
After killing the governor he promised
10 surrender himself to Chief Corbitt.
At his home yesterday Governor Fort
said:
"He seems to think that am still
Judge in the Essex County Court and
can help him get an imaginary fortune
which he asserts Is being kept from
him by county officials. 1t was that
assertion which caused him to be placed
in the asylum, and for a time he may
have had some feeling against me be-
csnse [ was on the bench when he
was sent there.
II shook hands with him and had a
chat with him recently when l visited
,he Morris Pluins institution. He did
,ot show in any way that he planned
INV violent action toward me, and
housh / regard him as a dangerous
han to be at large, chiefly for his own
~, do not believe he will attack