The Washington times., 1895-04-05
CATHOLIC PRIEST INSANE
Rev. Vim. Mccarthy Had a Frenzy
in the Police Station.
WESLEY MERCHANT DEMENTED
He Declares Senator German Is His ''Bloom-
ing Friend"-Earangues Crowd Of Chill
dren and Wants No Clerkship-His PoOk-
cts Stuffed with Curious Bits of Debris.
Sanitary officer Frank Busy with Lunaties

While Policeman O'Donohue and Spe-
cial Officer Hopkins were patroling their
beat along / street between Nineteenth
and Twentieth north west about 3 o'clock
yesterday morning they were approached
by well-dressed and clerical looking
man apparently thirty-five years of age.
The man was evidently a stranger and
was wandering aimlessly about the streets.
As he spied the officers he approached
them, and in rather vague tone said:
81 have been going for hours and have
not found it,
Found what?' inquired one of the
patrolmen.
1.-THE great Catholic University" re-
sponded the stranger, who appeared to be
demented "Ir you will direct me TO the
university I will show you how to raise
the poor colored people from starvation
to the thrones of the earth
HE WAS MENTALLY DERANGED.
The unfortunate man followed up this
statement with others of an irrational
nature, and the policeman concluded that
be was mentally deranged He was
therefore escorted TO the Third prec net
station house for safe keeping. When
the vicinity of the station was reached
the stranger became violent, and IL was
only by the main strength of the two men
that he was taken through the door,
Once inside he calmed down and gave his
name as William Mccarthy, OF Phila-
delphia, and his occupation as student
A railroad return ticket 10 that city was
found in his pocket He was given a
chair in the squad room, and after sitting
quietly for while was suddenly seized
/ nit hof. fI,o rfa N
keeper could reach him he had torn off
nearly all his clothing. A policeman
was placed i'll the room to guard him until
| daylight
( 1t was learned yesterday that he was an
advanced student in a Philadelphia Catholic
| university, and was about 10 enter the priest
hood, but had been retarded by former
unfortunate attack OF insanity, which had
necessitated his confinement in q Phila-
| delphia asylum.
| Detective Gallaher was detailed 10 re-
turn Rev. Mccarthy to his home in the
| Quaker City. and left with him on a train
shortly before noon yesterday.
He WAS IN IT.
I'm in it-strictly in it," shouted q
tall. WELL dressed man yesterday afternoon
on Capitol Hill. Proceeding along Penn
sylvania avenue TO Sixth street northeast,
followed by a mum ber of urchins, he
stopped in the middle of the roadway and
commenced TO make speech TO the howl
ing juvenile audience.
81 don't want no government clerkship,
he howled, "but / have got cast-iron
cinch on the place of Captain OF the Guards
at the Jail, and Senator German, who is
q blooming friend OF mine, is going to put
me there"
The speech was cut short by the appear.
ance OF Policeman Clinton, who escorted
| fI.aI tod indiyidnal Iipnfan1nf Nc
Cathran's police station.
The man gave his name as Wesley Mer'
chant, and his residence as No 9O9 West
Baltimore street. Baltimore. He said peo
pie had often called him queer, but nc
one had yet insulted him by saying he was
crazy.
Merchants pockets were found stuffed
with bits of newspaper, cobble stones, old
envelopes and other debris, which he sale
was "divine influence in his behalf"
Sanitary Officer Frank was notified
and VIII have Merchant examined as to
his mental condition. He was locked up
on the charge of suspicion of insanity.
Merchant also claimed that he was Sen
ator Germans right bower" and said
his family in Baltimore were rich and in
fluential people.
MANY CRAZY PEOPLE.
Mr.. Frank had his hands full with
crazy people yesterday, there being six
cases OF insanity brought before him for
action One OF these was Alexander White,
the old colored man who ran amuck in
the Division with loaded bulldog re-
volyer Wednesday night. He was pro-
nounced insane by Police Surgeons hewitt
and Hickling.
VIM Virgins, coiored, who claims to
control the four winds and threatens to
rule the world with fire, was examined at
No. 6 station by Drs. Hickling and Neyitt
and committed to st. Elizabeth Insane
Asylum on a temporary permit pending
judicial inquiry and trial by jury as to
his sanity.
Thomas Kelly. a madman, who is nov
at the workhouse clad III the striped gar
of q convict, has been adjudged insan
by Drs. Boree and Jackson. To-day b
will be committed to the Government Insan
Asylum as a nonresident, INDECENT in
sane person.
Kelly has only been over from Ireland
few months. His halluciDation is tha
he was sent to this country TO whiten tn
, skins of all the colored people, and cor
vert them into bids of the air II is salt
that he came near killing several coloTe'
children before his arrest while trying t
change their color with a solution of linn
and ammonia.
The other two are a white woman ant
, Martha Mills, colored, who tried to pluc
|, pieces out Of her husbands flesh in MI
/ L ,lrfi