The Jail Was Out of Level
Fred Neuffer was due in court for embezzlement. Instead, Olympia’s county jail became the scene of a strange one-man investigation into whether the floor itself was crooked.
HIS STATE OF MIND. FRED NEUFFER SUPPOSED TO HAVE BECOME INSANE. Was to Have Been Sentenced This Morning—He Thinks That the County Jail is Not Level—His Behavior.
The recent ordeals through which Fred Neuffer has passed in endeavoring to escape the toils of the law seem to have worked with serious effect upon his mind, and this morning his condition became so serious that it became necessary to place him in a steel cell.
Ever since Neuffer was found guilty of appropriating funds entrusted to him for investment his appearance has been greatly depressed. Some time ago he was given $500 to invest for a man named Swarm, promising the latter a return of 25 to 50 per cent. on the investment. The money was deposited in the state bank in Neuffer’s name, the understanding being that the investor could at any time find either his money or securities in the bank. Instead, however, he found nothing, and numerous checks were presented in evidence, showing that all the money had been withdrawn and used by Neuffer for his own purpose shortly after it was deposited. The jury in the case found Neuffer guilty of larceny by embezzlement.
All through the trial he manifested the greatest interest and followed each phase of the case closely.
This morning his moody disposition took the color of insanity. His one hallucination was that the jail was not level. Several pieces of stove wood were placed on end and he would then kneel on the floor and sight from one to the other. Then he would violently kick each piece of wood down and throw it around the jail. This operation he repeated several times until it became necessary to restrict his movements by placing him in a cell. When visited this morning he seemed rational enough at times. Then he would complain of pains in his head and begged to be released.
Just how far Neuffer’s insanity is genuine will have to be passed upon by physicians. Dr. Watt was called in this morning, but does not care to express an opinion just yet. The symptoms, however, were not in keeping with those of a person who had actually passed into insanity.
Neuffer was to have been taken before Judge Robinson for sentence, but this morning his condition prevented it. Toward night he came much quieter, and was released from the confines of the big cell and permitted to enjoy the freedom of the jail room with the other prisoners. His relatives say they have never known him to be affected before.
“His one hallucination was that the jail was not level.”
Neuffer’s case is a reminder that the justice system has long been the place where mental breakdowns are first noticed—and often mishandled. Today, jails remain some of the largest de facto mental-health providers in Washington and across the country.
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