The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-01-09
PATIENT HAS
STR N GE
MANIA
THOMAS HARTWElU is EXAMIN-
ED BEFORE INSANITY BOARD
Tells History to Point Where He Laps
cd Into Inconsistencies at Roy
Strange Story Follows.


young man who was picked up near the
Roy railroad station Immediately aft
er the Clark murder, which occurred at
Uintah on the 27th of November, in an
unconscious condition, occasioned by
fractured skull. told the story OF his
| life last evening before an insanity
/ board of examiners. consisting Of
| Judge Howell and Drs. H B. Forbes
and ]. R. Morrell. After listening to
| the story the board adjudged him in
sane and he was committed to the
state mental hospital at Provo. He
is suffering from a religious mania,
| which is considered likely to be of long
standing and yet, it is possible In the
| opinion of the members of the exami-
ners that his insanity may nave been
| brought upon him through the injuries
| he received at Roy at the time in ques~
| ton.
Since the fateful morning. Tuesday,
December l, when the man was
brought to Ogden for treatment, he
has remained at the hospital until yes
! terday, when be was taken to the
| sneriff's Office for the above mentioned
examination. The man seemed to
have quite completely recovered from
his physical injuries and he was per-
| fectly rational in the telling of his
| life. He stated that he was born in
Omaha, Neb., SO years ago. being the
| son of Thomas Jefferson and Elizabeth
Hartwell. He said that his father is
| still living, but that his mother died
| when he was young man. According
| to the story he told, he left nome i'm
| mediately after the death of his moth
| er and came west. He had always
been working man, his trade being
| that Of broom maker. He had usually
| been In the possession of money, but
| there had been times when he had to
| walk from place to place for want of
| means.
He stated that he vividly remember
| ed everything that had transpired in
| his life except that which happened
| from the time he lay down beside the
| railroad track near Roy. and the time
| he regained consciousness at the Og-
den hospital. a few days later. He
said he walked from Portland Ore, to
| Ogden, arriving at the latter place
about the first of last month Decem-
| Der. From Ogden he journeyed on to-
ward Salt Lake. At a point near Roy
he said ne sat down beside a switch
stand" to rest He finally concluded
to rest for an hour or so and according
ly, spread one of the old quilts he
had with him upon the ground about
four feet from the railroad track and
lay down to sleep. That is the last ne
knew until he was aroused from uncon-
sciousness at the hospital. He said
he had no Idea at all as to how he was
injured, unless" he continued. Il met
with an accident with some men"
He stated further In answer to queries
that he was much improved in health
and felt that he was able TO go to work
at his trade and he felt that he
could easily do sorting and light snop
work in broom factory.
Up TO this point the man showed
no signs whatever OF mental weak
ness, but the key note to his mental
condition was struck when DR.. Forbes
asked him why he was going to Salt
Lake. Here his story turned to mis-
mania, He said that he was going to
Salt Lake to advise the Mormon
church OF certain evidences he knew
of what would help them In preaching
the gospel. He desired to take the
leaders of the church to a certain point
of the railroad about 200 miles away
to show them Christ and the Godhead.
In this story he said: the place
where these things are Is close to the
railroad, about 200 miles toward Port
land, by a body of water. 1t is close
to the railroad After leaving the rail
road for a short distance we would
come to a small stable and then q little
further on. by the water, we would
come to the Godhead, Jesus Christ and
Mary, and Jacob and Joseph and to
the right of this is the Holy Bible. All
these things prove the gospel beyond
doubt and wanted the leaders of the
Utah Latter Day Saints to see them
because Ii would be of great benefit
to them in preaching the gospel. These
things could be shown the people and
then II they did not believe in Christ
and the Godhead they would have TO go
to hell" He also stated that ne saw
God and Christ in the rocks and trees
on his way down from Portland and
that he had tried to take a minister
OF the Baptist church at Huntington.
Ore to see them. but the minis
ter would not go with him.
II was hoped that when Hartwell
regained consciousness he could givc
some clue to the Clark murder, but
nothing whatever in this direction can
be cleaned from the mans story or the
circumstances connected with his in
jury. How the man was injured may
always be shrouded in mystery, the
general suppoSitlon on the part of the
officers however Is that Mr. Hartwell
was lying closer to the railroad track
than he thought he was and that he
was struck on the head by a passing
train He will be taken to the mental
hospital today.