Lunatic Escapes in Fire Apparatus
Although fire apparatus has often been considered an accessory for joy-rides, it remained for an inmate of the State Hospital for the Insane at Norwich, Conn., to combine business with pleasure.
The madman was tired of the life within the institution. He longed for adventures in the great open spaces beyond, the sight of his home village, and for freedom. Without any show of bashfulness, he took possession of the asylum’s pumper and made a dash for the unrestrained life.
Clad only in his pajamas and with a white veil flowing from his head, he dashed down the road at a sixty-five mile rate. He mowed through a flock of hens that were just then crossing the road.
State policemen tried to catch up with him. The speed of the pumper was too much for the cars of the state constabulary. They commandeered a high powered vehicle and continued the chase. As the lunatic was roaring up a hill, one of the police overtook him, leaped on the back of the pumper, and stopped the truck. Troopers stated that it was a miracle that no one was killed.
As the madman rushed through his home village he shouted to friends whom he saw:
“Gee whiz! See my new fire engine—and it belongs to the State of Connecticut.”
