Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 February 1903 — Wild Man’s Wild Deeds. [ARTICLE]

Wild Man’s Wild Deeds.

He Sets Fire to HU Boland Viciously Assaulted Sheriff Hardy. Edward Prairie, the wildly violent and dangerous lunatic, signalized bis last night in the county jail by setting fire to his bed, and by making a very vicious and dangerous attack on Sheriff Hardy. Prairie was kept in one of the large steel oages, and as he kept his olothing torn off, a stove was kept burning just outside of the oage door to keep him from freezing, About three o’clock last Wednesday, morning, he managed in some way to set his bed mattress on fire, an aot which he had previously attempted with a cigar the sheriff gave him. He doubtless obtained the fire by making a long roll of paper, which be thrust through the oage and against the hot stove. After he got the fire started he set up a yelling whioh awoke Albert Wilson, a man who has been helping around the jail a short time, who slept in the room just outside the maiti jail door. Wilson ran and woke up the sheriff, and both went into the jail, sheriff locking the door after them to prevent a possible escape of Wempe, the supposed confidence man.

The smoke was very thick and the sheriff began to open windows and set Wilson to throwing water through the bars on the burning mattress. In the meantime Prairie kept up a great yelling to be taken out of the cage, saying that he was choking, and finally fell down on the floor. The sheriff feared trouble with him, but not knowing that he might not be suffocating he opened the oage dooT and went in and oarried Prairie out into the main part of the jail, and placed him in a chair. He then revived so quiok as to show that he had no doubt been Bbamming, when he fell on the floor. The sheriff saw he was in for trouble, but tried to persuade

Prairie to go into another cell, which he refused to do, and instead suddenly made an attack on Mr. Hardy, and though the latter was it, yet his movements were so quick and, his reach so long that he struok Abe a terrible blow in the left eye, with his clenohed fist. Abe still kept his feet, and tried to avoid further attacks until Wilson could get in the cage to help him But Prairie got in another hard blow on the sheriff’s nose and moutUnvobably breaking the nose. Sheriff then blinohed with Prairie, and Wilson and also the prisoner Wempe came to his assistance. Wempe had a fire shovel in his hand and began whaling away at Prairie with that. He may have landed on him a few times, but one blow hit the sheriff and out quite a gash in his head. Prairie was finally forced into a cell and locked up. Besides the injury to his eye

and nose the sheriff has numerous smaller bruises and soratohes. The Injury to the eye is very severe, but his physioian Dr. English hopeß that its sight will not be destroyed or permanently injured. The sheriff is now in bed from his injuries and will be laid up for some time. 4b for Prairie he was fitted, by force, with a new suit of olothes and taken to the asylum Wenesday, by Dept. Sheriff Bruoe Hardy, and Ed Duvall, both quiok and powerful men, who would see that their very dangerous oharge got no farther opportunity for mischief. Besides he has a wholesome respect for Bruoe’s strength and obeys him very obsequiously. He made some trouble at the depot, having oonceived the idea that his new clothes were poisoned, and wanting to tear them off, but be was finally got on the train withont serious difficulty.