A MADMAN IN A NELSON CHURCH.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2737, 29 December 1881, Page 2

A MADMAN IN A NELSON CHURCH.

An extraordinary scene, we learn from the “Nelson Mail’’ occurred in Christ’s Church, JNelson, on Sunday. Just after the officiating clergyman (the Her. S. Poole) had taken his place in the reading desk, a man accompanied by four little children entered the church by the main door, and unhesitatingly walked up the aisle to the chancel. There he left the chddren standing in the aisle and went into the choir stalls, taking up his position in

one immediately behind, and on a level with the floor of the reading desk. One of the officers of the church regarding this as a some* what strange proceeding took charge of the four cnildren, who appeared quite dazed, and accommodated them with a pew. Meanwhile the voluntary ceased and the services commenced, the man standing immediately behind Mr Poole and looking down the church over his right shoulder. A member of the congregation left his seat and endeavoured to persuade him to come down, but without avail, his request being quietly but firmly refused. The confession was made, the absolution read, and then came the Lords Prayer, and as soon as the strange visitor’s ear caught the familiar words his countenance, up to this time dark and gloomy, lighted’up, and, with apparent earnestness and fervency, he joined in the prayer. The clergyman, despite the awkwardness and disagreeableness of his position, maintained self-possession, and, with unfaltering voice, continued to read the prayers, bat occasionally he might be seen to cast a furtive glance over his shoulder, prompted by a pardonable curiosity to know what was going on immediately behind him. The opening piayers over, the organ struck up the chant for the lt Venite,” and the choir commenced to sing the hymn of praise, but in all other parts of the church there was a dead silence, for every eye was fixed on the intruder, who, evidently moved by the music, began to walk up and down on the space behind the clergyman. There could now no longer be any question what was the matter. The man was perfectly mad ! The “ Venite ” concluded, there was the usual pause while the clergyman pronounced the psalms for the day, and then the chanting recorara'enced. More and more excited became the stranger; he increased the pace of his uneasy tramp over the yard and a half of floor on which he had to walk ; be gnashed his teeth under the growing excitement, and now and then he paused to glare and to make grimaces now over the right now over the left shoulder of the clergyman. One or two ladies who were in pews immediately under the reading-desk here made a move, and this was the signal for a general stampede. Tho congregation was an unusually large one, but within the space of a very few minutes, none weie left within the walls, except a few men. A parley was commenced with the madman, who had now stepped into the reading-desk and taken up the position vacated by the cleryman, who retired when he saw the congregation disperse. The man’s desiie appeared to be to preach, and no persuasion could induce him to leave his point of vantage, while if any approached too near, be at once showed fight. Under the circumstances it was thought best to send for the police, and three of them shortly arrived, and after a short but hard struggle, he was handcuffed and removed to the lock-up. The re* quisite number of doctors and Justices of the Peace were summoned, and ho was committed and conveyed to the Asylum. The unfortunate man was a storeman in the employ of one of the leading mercantile firms in Nelson, and was a sober, industrious, and generally respected man. About 18 months since he lost his wife and was left a widower with a family of six young children. He has for some time past been ailing, and during the last day or two had displayed symptoms of insanity.