The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-03-22
States That He Is Victim of
Epilepsy and Attempts to
End His Life to Escape His
Sufferings.
STATES HIS ARREST
WAS GREAT OUTRAGE
However, He Takes the Mat
ter Quite Calmly, Stating
The Police Everywhere
slave It In" for Him.

Charles Wolf, the Poison King Of In
diana and Ohio, who claims Indianapo-
lis as his voting place. but who usual
ly spends most of his time between
Richmond and Dayton. when seen at
the Jail Saturday stated that he had
no desire to commit suicide except
when spells Of melancholia, brought
about by an approaching attack Of ep-
ilepsy. overcame him. He says that
he has been unjustly treated by the
officers OF this city and alleges fur
ther that his present incarceration is
due to a trumped up charge on the
part of the officials. He was sent to
Jail six days ago, upon being found
guilty Of public intoxication.
Wolf seems to be an outcast from
his family as we'll as from society. He
has a brother in this city, but he stat
ed he and his brother could not agree
He has two brothers at Rushville who
are in Jail pending trial on serious
charges. He seems to feel more SYM
pathy for these two brothers than for
any other of his relatives. except his
children.
Loves His Children.
His wife and three children live at
Indianapolis. He does not live with
them and contributes but little toward
their support, according to the gist of
his conversation. In speaking oe his
wife. he says, "She has a good job
working in restaurant. Yes, see
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perhaps once every three or four
weeks when I am on the road. and
oftener when I am staying at Indian
apolis.' He spoke in very endearing
tones about his children.
Before Wolf finished his story his
body quivered. his teeth chattered and
his demeanor became such that the
reporter was warned to desist for
fear that he might have an attack. He
answered the questions at first very
freely. but toward the last had to be
repeatedly quizzed for answers.
Hurt by a Fall.
According to his story. ten years ago
while working at his trade as a paint.
er in Columbus. Indiana, a scaffoldins
fell on his head and he never fully re-
covered from this injury. He declares
that physicians say the attacks Of epi.
leptic fits which he suffers are due to
this injury. These attacks overcome
him at no stated intervals. but. he says
he can tell when they are coming. He
usually does nothing to prevent them
but sometimes drinks. The attacks
make him feel SO respondent that he
wants to end his life. He denies pur-
chasing poison every time he feels one
Of these spells approaching. His
statements regarding the number OF
times he has attempted suicide do not
coincide with the statements of the po
lice. So far as known Wolf has tried
to take his life in this city on four diff
ferent occasions. Wolf states that on
three of these occasions. he was suffer
ing from epilepsy instead of from poi
son. He can not understand why the
authorities did not discover the cause
of his suffering.
Wolf does not deny that he has
tried to take his life on two occasions
One of these was in this city last sum.
mer when found at Ninth and North A
street, suffering from strychnine, and
the other at Dayton later, when he
took carbolic acid. He claims to have
been in the Dayton hospital for thir
teen weeks recovering from that at
tempt.
He claims that everyone has a pick
at him and that he is harrassed and
bounded by the police. who seem to
take every opportunity which presents
itself to arrest him and cart him to the
hospital, alleging that he has taken
poison He states that he was not
drunk on Monday or Tuesday when ar
rested and that the charge and convic-
ton was trumped up. Oh nothing car
be done about it, the officers are down
on me guess"