Saturday, August 06, 2011

His hobby seemed to be stoves

Tumble with Insane Man May 11 1882 Oregonian

TUMBLE WITH AN INSANE MAN – Justice McGuire and Constable Hill of East Portland, had a warm rough and tumble fight with an insane man yesterday afternoon. It had been reported to Mr. McGuire that a crazy man was roaming about the woods near Sullivan's gulch, and had been sleeping on the ground without covering for the past week. When they found their man he seemed perfectly rational and while Mr. Hill engaged him in conversation McGuire got behind him and attempted to throw a rope over his arms, but failed and then the trouble began. Although small in stature the man seemed a perfect giant in strength, and it was only with their utmost efforts that they finally threw him to the ground and bound his hands. He was taken to the county jail, where he gave his name as Olaf Nelson and said he was from the Cascades. His hobby seemed to be stoves, as he delivered quite an oration on that subject, and expressed his deepest contempt for anyone who would charge two prices for that domestic article. He will be examined before Judge Rice to-day.

-May 11 1882


Gee, the trouble began when they tried to tie him up? Ya' think? Can't a guy sleep under the sky, dreaming of his love of stoves, without constables trying to restrain him?

Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Cable-fingered dawn.

Remember the R. Crumb documentary? He had a pile of pictures he had taken of overhead telephone and electrical wires, so he could draw them accurately in his comix. I saw that movie 15 years ago and I've been noticing the overhead wiring ever since.