Charles Marden rescues woman, 1878
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Charles Marden rescues woman, 1878
Cincinnati Daily Gazette (Cincinnati, Ohio)
August 13, 1878
One of the inmates of the Central Lunatic Asylum created an intense furor at the institution last week, and her life was saved only by the imminent peril of her rescuer. A female patient was brought to the institution Friday afternoon, and assigned to Ward No. 3, which is situated on the third floor of the first north wing. There are five windows on the north end of the ward, three central ones and one at each extreme side; they are protected by iron bars outside of the sash, secured to the brick. The space by measurement between the bars is five and three-fourth inches. During warm weather the windows are raised, and these bars prevent the patients from jumping out. Between the three central windows is a blind window – i. e., the shape of a window is made in the brick wall by leaving out the outside layer of bricks; this blind window is about two feet from and parallel with the central windows. This patient, in some unaccountable manner, succeeded in making an exit through this five and three-fourths inch plate between the bars, and worked herself over and hung on to the sill of the blind window with her fingers. She was immediately discovered and the alarm given. Mattresses, etc., were placed on the ground beneath her and the victim requested to drop. But she would not drop. I the meantime a ladder was procured from the rear of the institution and placed in position; its top no sooner struck the wall than Charles Marden was at its topmost rung. The ladder unfortunately only reached to the bottom of the second story, fifteen or twenty feet intervening between him and the patient. Not daunted, however, Marden in some unexplainable manner, ascended the bars on the second story window and scaled the intervening wall, at one time sustaining himself by his finger tips, at others with his toes on the slight projections of brick that ornament the sides and top of the windows. He reached the patient and managed to secure a rope around her waist that was dropped down from above. In the meantime the crowd below were gazing spellbound at Marden’s successful efforts, occasionally giving faint expressions of their wonder and amazement at his daring bravery. He was let down by the same rope to the ladder supporting the patient and protecting her from the wall.
August 13, 1878
One of the inmates of the Central Lunatic Asylum created an intense furor at the institution last week, and her life was saved only by the imminent peril of her rescuer. A female patient was brought to the institution Friday afternoon, and assigned to Ward No. 3, which is situated on the third floor of the first north wing. There are five windows on the north end of the ward, three central ones and one at each extreme side; they are protected by iron bars outside of the sash, secured to the brick. The space by measurement between the bars is five and three-fourth inches. During warm weather the windows are raised, and these bars prevent the patients from jumping out. Between the three central windows is a blind window – i. e., the shape of a window is made in the brick wall by leaving out the outside layer of bricks; this blind window is about two feet from and parallel with the central windows. This patient, in some unaccountable manner, succeeded in making an exit through this five and three-fourths inch plate between the bars, and worked herself over and hung on to the sill of the blind window with her fingers. She was immediately discovered and the alarm given. Mattresses, etc., were placed on the ground beneath her and the victim requested to drop. But she would not drop. I the meantime a ladder was procured from the rear of the institution and placed in position; its top no sooner struck the wall than Charles Marden was at its topmost rung. The ladder unfortunately only reached to the bottom of the second story, fifteen or twenty feet intervening between him and the patient. Not daunted, however, Marden in some unexplainable manner, ascended the bars on the second story window and scaled the intervening wall, at one time sustaining himself by his finger tips, at others with his toes on the slight projections of brick that ornament the sides and top of the windows. He reached the patient and managed to secure a rope around her waist that was dropped down from above. In the meantime the crowd below were gazing spellbound at Marden’s successful efforts, occasionally giving faint expressions of their wonder and amazement at his daring bravery. He was let down by the same rope to the ladder supporting the patient and protecting her from the wall.