Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 167, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 July 1910 — PRISONER TALKS AFTER SILENCE OF MANI DAYS. [ARTICLE]

PRISONER TALKS AFTER SILENCE OF MANI DAYS.

Man Who Refused to Eat Restored to Appetite and Reason and Talks Freely to Sheriff Shirer. The pint of milk which the jail physician and the sheriff and his aids suceeded in putting down the throat of the silent prisoner at the county jail, seems to have served not only as an appetizer but as a tongue lubricant as well. This Friday morning he was both hungry and talkative and seemed to be restored to normal reasoning. He told the sheriff that his name was W. H. Kearney, that he was a railroader and that his father resides at 210 Franklin street, Buffalo, N. Y. He states that he had been working in St. Paul, Minn., but went out during the strike there several months ago and had not worked since that time. He says that he went to Chicago, fell in with bad company, got to drinking and thinks he was doped. How he got out of Chicago and over near Goodland he does not know. He has eaten a square meal every time it was set before him since the milk was piped into him.

He asked if there was any charge filed against him and the sheriff said there was nothing except an application from Newton county to have him sent to an asylum.

He seemed to be perfectly reconciled at the jail and is not anxious to be released. He asked for a pipe and some tobacco at noon and apparently intends to enjoy life in his narrow quarters as well as he can. The smooth, soft palms of his hands would discredit his railroading story and it is possible that he has been engaged in some life that he does not care to have made public.

The sheriff surmises tsai his prisoner is a dope fiend. He told the sheriff that he found some opium in his vest pocket and did not know how it got there. It looks a great deal like a case of bad drunk and a lot of selfadministered dope. He says the indentation over his eye was caused by an operation for the removal of an ulcer above the eye. Sheriff Shirer expects to call Sheriff Sawyer, of Kentland, this evening and informhim of the progress his insane prisoner has made. It is probable that authority will then be given to release him.