Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 166, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 July 1910 — Insane Man Forced to Eat After Fast of Ten Days. [ARTICLE]

Insane Man Forced to Eat After Fast of Ten Days.

The insane man brought here from Kentland last Saturday evening and who has been the guest of Sheriff Shlrer since that time, was forced to take nourishment this Thursday morning, the tenth day of his fast. The unknown man was picked up near Goodland Tuesday of last week and taken to Kentland. He refused to eat and was brought here Saturday evening. Although Sheriff Shirer placed clean, fresh meals before him three times a day, he refused to partake of a single morsel of food and until the jail physician, assisted by the sheriff, Marshal Davis, Ed Duvall and B. J. Moore, bound him up this morning, ran a tube down his throat and emptied a pint of milk into his stomach, he had had no nourishment since Tuesday of last week, and no ones knows how much longer. He had not lost as much strength after his ten days’ fast, however, as would be expected, and he resisted the five men as long as he could before being overpowered. He did not speak a word but moaned pitifully during the time that the officers were handling him. Nothing has transpired to throw any light on the subject as to who the poor man is. Apparently he is about 3o years of age. His hair and mustache is black and his complexion dark. The palms of his hands are soft and he hes evidently been engaged in no manual labor. Over his right eye there is a deep depression, apparently of long standing. When asked a question, he points first to that spot, then to the left side of his face, then at his feet and then lays his right hand across his left breast. A reporter from the Republican office called at the jail Wednesday afternoon in company with several other men. The insane man occupied a swinging canvas cot in onV cf the cells. He looked up at the partv as it entered his cell, but did not move His left hand was beneath his head on the pillow and his feet were crossed He paid little attention to any one and at first apparently did not comprehend the questions put to him. But when urged to speak he went through tire peculiar motion above described Sheriff Shirer peeled an orange that had, been in the cell for several days and offered the ipan a section of it. He held his hand (n front of him and gently pushed it away. The sheriff placed it to his lips but he shut his mouth firmly and turned his head. “Why don’t you eat?” asked one of the visitors.

He raised his right finger, touched his depressed skull, then to the left side of his face, pointed to his feet and then rested his hand on his left breast. The reporter offered him his note book and pencil and asked him to write, but he simply stared into srace and was motionless.

He had not failed much and could probably have gone on for a long time without eating, as he spends most of his time on the cot and takes no exercise aside from walking a little about the enclosure about the cells. He is clean, the sheriff having seen him taking a bath and observing that his hands and face are always clean and his hair combed.

At noon today Sheriff Shirer took him r. light meal, consisting of some bread and butter and potatoes and more milk. To his surprise the man ate-them and also ate the orange which he had refused yesterday. He replied to questions by either nodding or shaking his head and showed more signs of realization than at any previous time since he was brought here. The cassis a very sad one. It is not improbable that the man has wandered away-from some insane asylum. The indentation over his eye is probably much like that of Eugene Dilley, formerly of this county, who wandered away from his home at Trafalgar and was not found for several months. An operation has apparently restored Dilley to complete consciousness again and might have the same effect on this man.