Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1912-08-23
UTILIZING MUSCLES
OF AN INSANE NEGRO
In a Cell Two Years Now Huge Black
is Dynamo of Energy and Grows
More Tractable Daily.
Baltimore Sun.

Baltimore Sun.
They're proving-down there in
the brownsville state hospital for
the negro insane in Anne Arundel
county-a theory about the negro
insane, which say those who know,
only strong men have any right to
set in motion. The theory is like a
big machine; which sometimes runs
away with its starters and, with the
remarkable impartiality of machines.
grinds up into little pieces the engi-
neer, who started but couldn't con-
troll, and the humble oiler as well.
It's illustrated-the theory-by
the black god,- a giant negro
standing something over six feet
without the help Of shoe soles and
weighing something like 200 pounds.
possessed Of muscles like cores of
taut, proven wire, charged to all
they will bear with electricity. For
two years this black was confined
constantly in a cell in the county
almshouse in one of the western
counties OF the state, never permit
ted to cross the sill of his cell door.
because he was considered an ex-
tremely dangerous man who could
not be controlled outside the walls.
That's where the Brownsville theory
comes in. Since he has been in the
latter institution, a matter Of some
weeks. he has been working in the
open every day; helping the carpen-
tiers to shape and lay the boards
which will form a part of the new
institution which is being built
down there in the Anne Arundel
county hills by insane negro men
for the care Of insane negro men.
Eight Hours of Effective Work.
Although he has a halucination to
the effect that he is a black deity
will one day inherit the earth,
he is now doing eight honest and ex-
tremely effective hours of work each
day and tells DR.. Robert P. Winter
ode, the superintendent of the hos
pital, that he likes it; that it helps
to pass the time while he waits un-
til he comes into his own. He
grows more tractible with the pass
ing Of each day.
DR.. Winterode and his assistants
not arrived at this stage in the
treatment of the ''black god" with
out some difficulties. When he first
appeared at Brownsville the effect of
his long residence behind bars, in
which his queerly vigorous mind
had many Idle hours to roam over
wide fields, was still showing upon
him. One day when he had been in
'hS pave OhIy d eHOIt Time lie arose
from a ditch in which he was work
ing and strobe off toward the woods,
their shadows, showing near the
ditch, evidently Turing him. The
sane men, who were bossing the
work, and some of the harmless in
sane went after him, and he turned
upon them and struck them down
with his bare fists, and continued
his stride to the woods with an ex-
tremely unconventional likeness TO a
dusky Hercules. He showed no de-
sire to harm them until this effort
to confine him, but confinement he
would not brook.
Later on in the same day attend
ants of the institution went into the
woods after him with rifles, not, OF
course, with any idea of shooting
him, but thinking that they could
brighten him with their shots.
Routed His Pursuers.
They met him in the depths Of
these same woods and they fired their
rifles-over his head. But the
black god" proved the strength of
his convictions about himself by
again turning upon his pursuers,
rifles and all, and while they rained
the fire from their weapons in his
direction-still over his head, of
course-routing them with sticks
and stones.
He roamed about for a day or two,
proving, it is said, his harmlessness,
so long as he was not attacked, by
molesting no one. He did, however.
brighten the members of n farm
er's family almost completely out of
their wits by appearing one morning
at that spot nea the back door
where the tin basin and the towel