Desperate affair at a Hospital in Petersburg.
--A very desperate affair occurred at the Second North Carolina Hospital in
Petersburg, Friday, during which one of the patients, after wounding the surgeon in charge and several attendants on the hospital, cut his own throat, and died in a few minutes.
The following are the particulars as given in the
Express: ‘
John Roland, a conscript from
North Carolina, who had been recommended for a discharge from the service on account of rheumatism, applied on Thursday evening at the Second North Carolina Hospital for permission to remain all night, which was granted.
Yesterday morning, while
Dr. Warren, surgeon in charge, was making his usual rounds, Rotand assaulted him with a large knife, slightly wounding his hand and inflicting another wound just above the jugular vein in his neck.
He then turned upon
Pat Maury, one of the nurses, who came to the aid of
Dr. Warren, stabbing him so severely in three places that but faint hopes are entertained of his recovery.
It was believed that he would die last night.
He next attacked
Mr. S. B. Bradley, one of the ward masters, cutting three of his fingers nearly off. After this he wounded
a Mr. Bruns, another nurse, but very slightly, however.
To finish the bloody tragedy, he then stabbed himself near the heart, and cut his throat in two places, one of the wounds severing the wind fire; after which he jumped out of the window, a distance of some 10 or 12 feet, and expired in about 20 minutes. We learn that
Roland behaved very well during the night and yesterday morning, nothing in his appearance or action indicating that anything was the matter with him. All of a sudden a fit of desperation seemed to seize him, as if he were possessed of the devil.
But for
Dr. Warren's coolness in getting the patients out of his way he would doubtless have slain several of them in their helpless condition.
’
