Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-20
Drawings by E. Hopper

OF what he had done when he brought IN by a
stableman working in the barns who had recognized
him a patient After getting outside the door the
patient had gone straight to the stable and asked the
to direct him how to get off the place. and even
queSted the loan of a horse.
AS Barber brought into the ward again
he questioned about the key and what had become
of it, He declared that he had thrown away
he had let himself out of the door; and could
not be found anywhere about his clothing party of
men sent out to search the grounds for it. But
they unsuccessful and after two hours gave up the
search.
An hour later the stableman repeated his pre-
performance of bringing in the patient who had
again escaped gone straight to the barn as before and
asked directions, having apparently forgotten all
about his previous visit.
1t was now evident that the story of having thrown
away the key fabrication Barber had gone out
of the door before and asked directions In all
probability the key concealed somewhere about the
mans clothing and had been there all the time; yet a
careful search failed to reveal it as before The
patients clothing searched thoroughly piece by
piece to the extent of tearing out Innings and nip
ping up seams But still no key was found. At last
someone suggested that Barber had swallowed it, and
this led to the thought that possibly he palnng it.
And sure enough when his hands were examined the
key was found between his fingers where it had been
concealed during two careful examinations.
SOMETIMES after has successfully made the
initial toward efectng his escape the excite
ment produced will act in such way upon his mental
condition prevent his carrying it out Such case
that of Jim Sherman eplleptlc who escaped from
was finally captured only few rods from the place at
which he was last seen.
The life in the institution had very beneficial effect
upon his condition. as it invariably does in such cases.
and his lucid intervals became extended until finally
almost year had elapsed since his last attack of epilepsy
And as he was vigorous fellow anxious to be at work,
he was given place with gang of working on the
road about half mile outside the walls of the nstitu
ton These under the supervision OF several
guards but most of the work gang were trusty patients
and many little liberties were allowed.
obah1 t.
tons of Sherman however, any member OF the work.
ing gang; but day when the road gang was working
strip of dense woods he slipped into the bushes
He had hardly reached cover before he was missed,
and within half hour Of guards were securing
the country watching roads surrounding the woodland
and beating it up carefully Nevertheless, no trace OF
the fugitive was found.
The following morning all the available force from
the City began searching the woods again. spending the
entire day without From this it concluded
that Sherman had gone through the woods before they
could be surrounded, and was somewhere about the
country But this possibility thought of from the
very first and bodies of had been detailed to watch
the roads and fields in all directions.
small force left to guard the wood where the
fugitive had disappeared although this seemed much
like watching the barn after the horse is gone For six
DAYS and nights these guards watched. while other
ties secured the country for miles around The seventh
morning, just as the word being sent
out recalling all the guards and giving up the -
chase on the supposition that Sherman had
been able to catch a passing train and y
escape from the country the fugitive ap- ~
peared at the edge of the woods and gave -
himself up Pale wild eyed, bruised, and
torn he begged to be taken back to the City
and given something to eat.
It seemed that the idea of making his escape had been
recently developed and based upon the fact that
such long interval had elapsed since his last attack of
epilepsy that he believed himself recovered Convinced
therefore, that he had finally shaken off his enemy and
seeing way of bringing the authorities to his belief
he determined to escape
He had noticed that at a certain time each day a
regular freight train passed within few rods of the op
the1