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A poster titled "Insane Man Escaped" announces the escape of Boston Corbett from the Insane Asylum at Topeka, Kansas. Corbett, a former Union soldier, is famous for killing John Wilkes Booth, President Abraham Lincoln's assassin. In 1878, he establish a homestead near Concordia, Kansas. Corbett, who occasionally displayed erratic behavior, was hired as doorkeeper for the 1887 Kansas House of Representatives. While performing his duties, he pulled a pistol and unofficially adjourned the House. He was disarmed by local police, declared insane, and committed to the State Insane Asylum. On May 26, 1888, Corbett escaped on a stolen horse and after a brief stay in Neodesha, Kansas, disappeared.
Creator: Huron, George A.
Date: May 26, 1888
Item Number: 206535
Call Number: Port. SP 362.2 K13T
KSHS Identifier: DaRT ID: 206535
Date - 1880s - 1888
Government and Politics - State Government - State agencies and programs - Agencies - State hospitals
Objects and Artifacts - Communication Artifacts - Advertising Medium - Poster
People - Notable Kansans - Corbett, Boston, b. 1832
Places - Cities and towns - Topeka
Places - Counties - Shawnee
Thematic Time Period - Civil War, 1861 - 1865
Type of Material - Printed materials - Posters
http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/206535