SENSATION IN QUEEN-ST.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4246, 18 October 1892, Page 2

SENSATION IN QUEEN-ST.

A Madman Runs Amuck.

At about half past two yesterday afternoon, quite a sensation was caused in Queon-streot by a man named Thomas Smith, tearing down the street, and with an open pocket knife in his hand, making a terrific stab at Mr \V. Dougall's plate glass window. Tho result was that ha badly lacerated his hand, and damaged a considerable quantity of Mr Dougall'sproperty, including a forty guineagold watch, and a valuable marbleclook, After smashing the window the man walked into Mr Dougall's shop, and, with the blood streaming from his wounded hand, calmly took a seat. Mr Dougall managed to appear unconcerned, and succeeded in engaging the madman in conversation until the arrival of Constable Casbion, when he was arrested without offering any resistance. From a statement made by Smith, alter his arrest, it appears that he resided some years at Cape Town and while there lived on terms of intimaoy with a woman whom he afterwards left. His present hallucination is that the woman has been transformed into a black cat with two tails, and is now following him everywhero he goes. When he made the stab at Mr Dougall's window he imagined the cat was there, and goaded to desperation, made an effort to rid himself ot the dreadful phantom. We are informed that on the 4tli of July last, Smith was convicted of vagranoy in Nelson, and sent to Wellington Gaol for three months. Whilethere he developed certain symptoms whichcaused him to be sent to thoasylum, but after a few days he 'was re-transferred to the gaol, and received his discbarge on theith of tbj& month.