Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-07-12
POLICE HAVE A HARD
TuSSLE WITH CRAZY
WOMAN IN River
Deputy Marshal Glidden and
Night Officer Corbett Prevent
Annie Drink ter from
Drowning Self in Kennebec

Deputy Marshal Glidden and Night Of
ficer Corhett of the Augusta police force
had about as strenuous a half hour early
Sunday morning as ii will probably be
their luck to encounter if they remain
on the police force for many years-that
of preventing from drowning herself fe-
male patient from the Augusta State hos
pital who had plunged into the kennebec
river undoubtedly for .hat purpose. The
officers are both able men but they had
the toughest kind of a tussle before they
finally succeeded in .:G!,duing the woman
and returning her to tho restitution.
The first that was 'iI.own of the wo-
mans presence outside Of the hospital
was when at about clock Sunday
morning a man who said that his name
was Clifford and that he had walked up
the railroad track from Ha1loweu called
at the police station and said that there
was a woman down on the shore of the
river in front of the State hospital prop
erty, that she was acting strangely ana
lie believed that she intended TO throw
herself into the river. Continuing mis- sto-
~, he said that he haC noticed her in
the field on the hillside in front of the
hospital buildings as he was coming up
the track: that he watched her and f.
nally she came down to the hospital
wharf and put up her hands as if in
prayer, and that he could hear her pray
ing.
Thinking she was going 10 jump into
the river he yelled at her. whereupon
she left the wharf and went up into the
field again, where size wandered aimlessly
about for short time and then started
down toward the shore again, and upon
reaching it she went through the same
maneuvers as she had when he first
shouted 10 her. Again he yelled at her
and again she left the shore and went UP
into the field whereupon he hurried up
along the railroad track and across the
bridge to the police station, where ne
told what he had seen.
Believing from what the man had told
that there was something out Of the way
down in the vicinity of the hospital the
two officers made their way to the place
Indicated and on searching along the
shore came upon the woman seated on a
ron in some bushes. She had been in
the water, her othins being wet, and
to her feet. shouting: You fellows
brought me here. now YOU have got 10
go in after me go made . dash into the
river, ho-h the officers following. Crap
ping with her they tried 70 take heT
from the water, but in SO dong they HAD
a hard struggle as the woman weighs
about 22o pounds, was possessed Of ii
wonderful amount OF strength. and dur
ing the struggle the whole three got a
duckinc.
The officers succeeded in getting hey
ashore but still she was full Of fight and
it was only after they had put the hand
cuffs on her that they were able to han
die her and get her up over the hill tc
the hospital. Al the hospital it was
learned that the woman. who in some
way had escaped from the institution,
was Mrs. Minnie prirkwater, about Il
years Of age, and who was committed
from Lewiston several months ago. In
curry at the hospital Sunday afternoon
elected the information that the woman
had suffered no serious results from her
experience of the early morning.