Wedded, Then 15 Minutes Later Off to Asylum

1909--

WEDDED AND THEN TAKEN TO ASYLUM

After Courting Girl Twelve Years Man Has Hard Luck.

WORCESTER, Mass., Feb. 20.— Wedded to Miss A. Mary Hanff, a $200,000 heiress, after a twelve-year courtship, W. W. Sargent, a prominent business man of Worcester, was today committed to an insane asylum with the promise of two doctors that in two years he will be a raving maniac.

Sargent, who is wealthy and one of the biggest vehicle dealers in the state, yesterday was married to Miss Hanff. Immediately on the news reaching his aged father, B. W. Sargent went before Judge Samuel Uttley and swore out a warrant for his son's arrest as insane. The bridegroom was in custody within 15 minutes after his marriage, but was allowed to spend the night with his bride under police surveillance.

He was, however, examined by Doctors Burley and Brown, who gave it as their opinion that he was suffering from dementia paralitica.

This afternoon Sargent was examined in the district court and Judge Uttley at once signed the warrant committing him to an insane asylum.

--The Des Moines News, Des Moines, Iowa, February 21, 1909, page 10.

Comment: Let's review. He gets married, then somehow the news reaches his aged father, who is able to get before a judge, present his case, get a warrant, serve the warrant, get the arresting officers there, and have his son in custody, all "within 15 minutes." That's pretty fast. So a lot of it had to be set up in advance, or the 15 minute part is wrong. But the part I really like is the "promise" of the two doctors that "in two years he will be a raving maniac."



QUARTETTE TO USE MEGAPHONE

Dr. Arthur Manuel, musical director of the Y. M. C. A., is planning to have his quartet sing through a monster megaphone on the streets Saturday night. Heretofore it has been very difficult to sing loud enough above the noise of the streets and it is planned to try this new idea next Saturday night.

--The Des Moines News, Des Moines, Iowa, July 22, 1909, page 1.

Comment: A "monster megaphone."