Rensselaer Union, Volume 8, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 January 1876 — Freaks of a Crazy Prisoner. [ARTICLE]

Freaks of a Crazy Prisoner.

Robert Burke, the unfortunate possessor , es a disordered intellect, who has been closely confined in the Counfy Jail since his crazy onslaught on Mrs. Raible, is an object on which no amount of pity would be wasted. He sleeps or dozes sometimes during the day, but never at night. His nights are spent In walking—walking in a circle around his cell, a circumscribed promenade indeed. Every evening, before entering on his pedestrian duties, he divests himself of the few clothes he wears and heaps them up in the center of the cell. When walking or running he steps high, and his footfalls ring on the cell floor all night long. Sometimes he increases his gait to a lively run, and keeps it up till, tired in muscle and short of breath, he drops from sheer exhaustion, but only until he can recover strength enough to renew the race. The other innrate? of the jail complain that their rest is broken by this monotonous and unceasing exercise. Burke is in a fair way of Starving to death it he persists in his obstinate refusal of food of any kind, as he has done since last Friday. On that day he took his last nourishment. Since then he has scorned to receive or accept a bite of anything. If he still refuses officers will try and force him to swallow some nourishment. He says he is fasting five days for his sins. Every day he receives one or two, and sometimes half a dozen, telegrams from Rothschild, the Jewish Midas. A piece of newspaper, a tag from his clothes, or anything he can put his hands on, he uses to representthe imaginary dispatches. sages are both of a financial and religious nature —that is, he is negotiating large loans through Burke, and, moreover, looks to him for spiritual comfort. Burke said, the other day, very blandly, that he had hopes of relieving Rothschild of his financial embarrassments, but spiritually he was a goner, as he would persist imealing meat, and that would send him to perdi,ion sure. He thinks a place in Satan's dominions awaits eveiy man who eats meat or wears leather shoes, or sleeps next to blankets. Jailer Bright brought him a pair of gum shoes the other day. He rejected them disdainfully, telling the jailer to “put them on and walk for his sins.” Burke told the officers yesterday he thought he could save most of the other prisoners, but he had just received a message from on High “ that the inside sentinel would be eternally damned.” Burke ought to be shipped to some asylum.— Denver Neas.