The Night a Belltown Real Estate Agent Fought Five Officers and Yelled 'Murder'

FEARED HE WOULD BE SHOT. Crazy Man Who Yelled "Murder" and Fought the Police. J. J. Middleton, a middle-aged man who has a real estate office in the Squire-Latimer building on Commercial street, was taken from his home near the corner of Front and Virginia streets early yesterday morning by Officers John Huff and Milliken to prevent his doing himself or others bodily injury. He is violently insane and caused more racket at the police headquarters than any other man who has been taken there on a similar charge for many months. All the way to the station from his home he yelled "murder! murder," and declared that there were men in front and at his back who intended to shoot him. Then he declared that Dr. Palmer, Mr. Hughes and other men were holding a meeting at the postoffice for the purpose of confiscating his property. He declared that his first wife was a good woman, but that his second was a prostitute. In his mind he held conversation with both of them. When the officers searched him, it required the combined strength of five of them to hold him. He called them every name in the catalogue of the scientific swearer, and threatened to have one and all arrested for false imprisonment. After he was put in a cell he simply howled, and when taken to the county jail he was still howling. Both of his wives, referred to, are dead. Another case of insanity, but exactly opposite in character, occurred about the same time. This was Andrew Lee, who simply smiles and smirks. He is perfectly harmless and says that he was an inmate of an insane asylum in Norway several years ago.