In a Madman's Grip.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7890, 4 August 1905, Page 4

In a Madman's Grip.

i A sensational incident occurred last week at Qladesville, a Sydney suburb, in which a lunatic asylum is established. Mrs Carter, the wife of a Macqtavie street doctor, was passing the institution on her way to taKe a boat across the Paramatta River, when a man in asylum clothe;; advanwd in a threatening manner towards her. She was accompanied by ber son and daughter, aged nine ami eleven respectively, ami got them behind her while she tried to calm the man. Bur he rushed at her, awl pinning ber securely by the arms, threw her to the ground. He then knelt on ber breast and tried to throttle her. She would have soon been choked, had 'Sot the children distratccd his attention somewhat by their efforts to release their mother, The boy kept pummelling the manj and caused him to fiefend himself with one hand. In the meantime Mrs Carter screamed desperately whenever sbe got the chance, and several people ultimately came to ber assistance in ber terrible predicament. Sbe is still suffering from the shock of the unfortunate affair. It being reported that many Qladesville Asylum patients reckoned to be simply half-witted were allowed to roam at large in the fashionable suburb, the subject was brought up in Parliament. In defence of the asylum'authotities, it has been explained that Uie man who committed the assault bad never previously been violent or shown any signs of homicidal mania, and no mischance of the kind had ever occurred previously. In yk-w of Mrs Carter's dreadful experience H has now been determined that patients are to be restricted to the grounds of all insane asylums in the State, although the new rule will bear hardly on convalescents and harmless weak-mimled persons who have benefital considerably by the freedom hitherto allowed them. It is considered that the matter is one in which the safety of the general public must be paramount.