The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-04-16
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Hamilton Trust Company to provide
an income for my maintenance. They
treated me kindly enough there. for
I was we'll provided for, and for n.
week or Two just loafed around, go
ING through tho routine of tho insti-
tuition and hardly taking tho trouble
to consider my situa ton
suddenly Felt lie Was Sane.
'Onc day, sitting alone in my room
az The Knobs ii suddenly dawned on
me that was sane-as sane as the
men could see from my window walk
ing along Broadway. But how WAS ]
70 establish this fact? The world
would not believe it. for already twelve
men had said thai Was unfit TO enjoy
The privileges Of life among them.
81 grew alarmed as | thought of the
prospect II may be possible for a
sane man 10 be sent to an asylum
through mistake. but II he stays there
for any length of time lie never comes
out sane All al once ] had an idea.
AS Ralph Clarke the world would know
me. wonld discredit me entirely. But
why not make my way under a new
name and among strange people?
Every evening about { we were
taken out on the piazza for an air
ing. suppose 1 was somewhat more
doclie than the rest for the attendants
watched me with comparative indirfer-
cncc. One night at just the moment
when no one was in sight. | slipped
away In the shrubbery and crept TO
The fence that inclosed one side of
the grounds.
"a moment moro and had climbed
the fence and was out on the road. II
was a beautiful evening carly In sep
tcmber. WARM enough to make walking
pleasant without an overcoat; but by
the time had reached Spuyten Duyvil
was pretty tired.
II had just "A nickel and my gold
watch that had CYST 5000. took the
cars at Spuyten Duyvil ana got down.
town as far as Fourteenth Street
There went into pawnshop and got
sis on my watch. felt as though all
the riches Of the East were mine, for
a minute before had not cent In
my CLOTHES and realized besides that
+ was an outcast, an escaped lunatic IN
the eyes of the law. for whom an alarm
would surely be sent out.
81 hired cheap room in a hotel
near Union square and spent my Time
iazily up and down Broadway or sit
ling on the benches In Union Square
or Stuyvcsant Park. watching the
passcrs-by and wondering when some
! body would pick inc up. I recall well
the first meal ate out OF that SIS.
| ordered pcntifully clans. steak and
! onions, ice cream, pie, coffee. whatever
caught my eye on the bill Of fare, as
though had been half starved.
| wasn't more than ordinarily hungry
/ but it was the pleasure of realizing
| that ! was my own master and didn't
have to take what somebody else had
| decided must eat.
| Even Visited Police Station.
! Il lived around Stuyvesant Square
! Tor four days. reading the papers
/ watching the pcople. and trying By
| every method | could devise to assure
myself that I was really sane, moi
the lnnatic that my relatives and
| friends had made up their minds
| was. read Of my own escape. dropped
/ into police station and learned thai
! there was Il general alarm ont for mo
[ spoke about myself with persons II
Nc hotel where | lived. who never
! suspected ! was the man TINT was
! hcine sought, had shaved clean and
II would have taken n clever detective