Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 163, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 July 1910 — SUPPOSED INSANE MAN HAS TAKEN NO FOOD FOR A WEEK. [ARTICLE]

SUPPOSED INSANE MAN HAS TAKEN NO FOOD FOR A WEEK.

Brought Here From Newton County For Safe Keeping—ldentity Unknown—Bad Scars on Head. Sheriff Mose Sawyer and Co. Clerk Reuben Hess, of Newton county, brought a man Jiere for safe keeping Saturday who is a mystery. The man was found wandering around near Goodland on Tuesday of last week and has not taken a mouthful of food since that time. His condition is ° pitiful. He lays on his cot in the jail cell the most of the time with a mute appeal on his face and does not utter a word. He pays no attention to the food that is offered him. Sunday he talked a few minutes with Sheriff Shirer but failed to disclose his identity. He said he had worked for a farmer near Goodland for a few days before the Fourth, and that on the Fourth he had started with him for Kankakee, and that while in the buggy he had asked the farmer if he had earned any more than his board. The farmer said he had and gave the man 50 cents, and he left the buggy. He told Sheriff Shirer in a rambling way that he had once been a bad man, but that now he was a good man, and talked of religion. One time after that the sheriff saw him kneeling by the cot as if in prayer. The man is about 5% feet tall, has a deep scar above the right eye, as if kicked by a horse, and his nose also shows a bad scar. He is dark in complexion, has dark hair and mustache. Both arms are tattooed. One has the letters W. H. K. and some kind of an emblem on it. The other has the American flag held by a female figure. Application has been made for the man’s admission to Longcliffe, but this has been denied by the authorities owing to the shortage of room. Further efforts will be made to have him admitted, if he can be induced to take nourishment.

Tim Goodland Herald has the following account of the man: Tuesday afternoon quite a good deal of excitement was caused when the word was phoned in from Rufus Jay’s home southeast of town that a crazy man had put in his appearance and for the marshal to come after him. The marshal secured the services of Dr. B. W. Pratt’s auto and with several good deputies started out for the man. They came up with him just north of C. M. Peckham's farm, walking north. They stopped the machine about fifty feet in front of him and Mr. Morin walked up to him taking hold of his two arms and asked him where he was going and received no reply. He then asked him if he wanted to take a ride and again received no reply. The marshal, believing that silence gave consent, put him in the auto and brought him to town and placed him in the lockup. A physician was summoned who examined him, He had a bad scar over his right eye, his nose is sunk in the middle and under his left jaw there was another scar. This one seemed to be giving him much pain, but were all old scars. Efforts to get him to speak were ,in vain, a question as to his nationality was discussed, several languages were spoken to him without avail. All he would do was to make signs, he would point to the scar over his right eye, then to his right ear; rub his hand over the back of his head, point to his left jaw, then to his heart and then at his feet. Then he would place his hands together, bringing the tips of his fingers to his lips, then bend his head down low android out his hand pleading for something. This he kept up continually and could not be understood at all.

After supper another attempt was made to get him to talk, in the meantime a striking resemblance between him and a picture sent up from Decatur, Adams county, offering a reward of |25 for an escaped convict .by the name of Gray, who had been sent up from Muncie for grand Recency ten years ago, and who, while on parole stole a team of horses and was serving sentence in the Adams county Jail, but escaped a few weeks ago. This picture was brought back to the cell and he broke down and began to cry, shortly afterwards he made a sign for writing material, he was handed a pencil and paper and he wrote,**That was my picture," more attempts were

made to get him to write but there was nothing doing. The fact that he could write English was proof that he could speak it, but did not wish to do so. Out at Jay’s ae asked the lady of the house for e drink and told Mr. Jay that he was from Chicago going east to pray, and when Dr. Bassett removed his shoes to see why he pointed at his feet he was understood to say “Don’t hurt me” but other efforts to get him to speak were useless.

The writer has seen crazy people and he showed every evidence of the fact that he is off mentally, or he is doing a good job of putting it on. He is perfect otherwise, seems to be about 35 years old, height 5% feet and weighs about 160, dark hair and mustache. The only time he showed violence was when the doctor handed him a glass half filled with water, he took the glass and looked at the contents and dashed the contents to the cell floor and raised as if to strike the doctor, who hustled out and closed the door, and ordered him to lie down, the fellow caught the top of the cell, pulled himself up and let out one or two angry snorts and struck his hands together and picked up a pail of water beside him and made as though he was going to throw the contents on the doctor just outside the cell. After a few more attempts were made about 8 o’clock to get him to talk but resulted the same as the others, he was let alone_for the night. However, Wednesday moring while Marshal Morin was sprinkling the floor of the city hall next to the cells he was surprised to hear the fellow say “You are using a good deal of water,” but that ended the conversation; the fellow had had his say and was satisfied. Shortly after the noon hour Tuesday he was seen by John Cochrane, Jr;, walking north carrying a coat. As there was nothing on his clothes to identify him, Wednesday morning a search was made for his coat with the expectation of getting something from it that would lead to his identification. He spent a good night in his cell and slept most of Wednesday morning. It is the general opinion that he has gone batty over some religious signs and repeats identically the same one each time.

His worldly possessions amounted to the clothes he had on his back and 27c. He had been recently shaved, but his shoes one probably because of a very sore foot. The poor fellow in this condition is to be pitied. Everything possible has been done to help him but without avail. Three doctors who examined him pronounced it a very remarkable case; they pronounce him to have good health and all right with the exception of his marked signs of insanity. Tatooed on his arm are the initials “W. H. K.” and Wednesday afternoon while the doctors were examining him on his shirtfront was found the name “Kickshaw,” which corresponds with the last initial on his arm. His hat has the mark which represents a dealer in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and his clothes were of good material. After proper papers were filled out by Judge J. W. Baer, he was taken to Kentland by Sheriff Moses Sawyer, who came over in an automobile.