The Detroit times., 1910-02-05
DEMENTEO MAN IS
CAPTURED AFTER
LONG SIEGE
F. w. BOurke Locks Self in Home,
and Armed With Shotgun, Holds
Police at Bay For
Hours.
Fires at Passersby and Wounds One
Man-0fficers Finally Venture Into
House and Find Man Hiding.

III state OF terror throughout Thurs.
DAY night and Friday morning, wound
ing one man and narrowly missing
several others, Frederick w. Bourke,
demented flour merchant, was nm
any captured by squad OF police
from Garfield station I'm his home, No
loo Forest-ave west. shortly before
1880 o'clock Friday.
Bourke was found hiding under a
wide porch OF brick construction, ex-
tending across the entire front OF the
handsome residence. He appeared TO
be asleep, but the officers say he was
shamming In eluding the officers he
displayed the craftiness characteristic
or the insane man. In the first place
he chose about the last place anyone
would think OF exploring for traces OF
him. and carefully covered up his
trail, closing after him the basement
window through which he gained ac-
cess 10 his strange retreat He was
attired only I'm his underclothes and
canvas hunting coat. The latter was
exactly the same color as the bricks
used in the construction of the house,
and at first deceived the officers com
pletely. They peered through the
basement window looking under the
porch two or three times before they
discovered Bourke's presence.
Bourke was not armed then and
quietly accompanied his captors to the
living room upstairs after he had
been awakened The gun was found
later in woodpile in the basement.
II had been taken apart and the DIFF.
ferent sections were hidden in widely
separated parts OF the pile. Just two
shells were all that remained OF his
ammunition so that his attack" on
the neighborhood must have ended
soon even had not the police inter.
fercd
The officers were unable to get a
word out OF Bourke He ignored their
questions entirely. He was placed on
n couch IN the living room under a
strong guard He would sometimes
look up into the face of his unbidden
visitors and smile, at the same time
slyly winling his eve, but not a sound
came from his lips.
Mr. Bourke was removed temporar-
lily 20 a local hospital until arrange.
monts can be made TO place him in a
sanitarium. Apparently he was suf-
fering from delusion that his home
was fortress and that pedestrians
and police officers on guard consti-
tuted a besieging army, for he not
only fred at passersby promiscuously
with his shotgun, but placed pieces OF
drain tile, iron sewer pipe. garden hose
and other such objects in the open
windows in imitation of cannon and
rapid-fre guns.
It was about i:3C o'clock Thursday
afternoon that the attention OF the po-
lice was called TO Bourke. Thomas
Mccall. OF No. 40 Duiield-st., was
passing the house when Bourke sud
denly raised a window i'm the attic and
fred point blank AT him. Mccall re-
eeiyed the charge full in the face and
Mas at first thought TO be seriously
Eounded. but an examination showed
ais injuries were only superficial.
Previously the ne!ghbors had heard
shots at frequent intervals and had
heard the pellets strike their windows,
but the source of the bombardment
was not revealed until Mccall was
struck Two policemen were then de-
tailed TO guard the house In case
Bourke came out. fearing to go inside
lest he open fire on them. All through
the night they kept up the vigil, the
monotony of which was broken by an
occasional shot from one OF the up
stairs windows.
Bourke resumed operations with TN
usual vigor early Friday morning,
taking pot shots al all who venturcd
near. An old man who started 10
walk across a vacant lot adjoining the
Bourke home was selected as mark
and a charge of shot whistled danger
ously close to his head. 1t was some
time before the police thought of sta
tioning men around the premises to
warn passers-by.
In the meantime. BOurke continued
10 hold undsputed possession of the
house, with doors and windows Sc
Curely locked and barricaded. Detec-
tives and patrolmeE came from Can
field station sinsly and in pairs, but
no one attempted TO force an entrance
10 the house.
Finally Lieut.. Davis came and took
command OF the situation.
We'll, boys he said, Il guess it's
MP TO us to go I'm and get him. That's
the captains orders
Just then another shot rang out from
one Of the attic windows, and Precinct
Detective Graus, screened from the de-
mented mans view by the roof Of the
porch, forced open one Of the front
pRrlor windows ana stepped inside,
followed by Lieut.. Davis. Precinct De-
tectives Holland and Shepherd, Sergt.
Cook, Patrolman Lloyd and one or,
two others -trailed behind. and then
began a search that lasted more than
an hour
Gingerly they tip-toed from one room
10 another, peering into every corner,
under tables and beds. into closets
and behind doors. In fact. not an
inch OF space from cellar TO garnet
was overlooked. but Bourke was no
where in sight.
When he heard the detectives put
tering at the window, as IL developed
later, he slipped quietly down the
back stairway into the basement and
tucked himself away under the porch
before the officers had set foot In the
parlor. And there he remained until
one OF the detectives, with sharper
eyes than the rest caught a glimpse Of
his outline through the basement
window.
Previously Lieut.. Davis and Detec-
tive Graus had attempted TO force an
entrance at the Kitchen door While
Davis was working away with Jimmy.
with Graus peering through rear win.
dow 10 the right, Bourke suddenly
doomed into view with his shotgun
and discharged it through the plate