Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1896-11-26
SHOT AT BY A MANIAC.
A Sensational Episode at the Catholic
Girls Directory in Portland,

uirib DiroctOrI IN fOrtlhn0.
Portland. Or, Nov. 20.-A most
sensational attempt at murder occurred
last night in the dining.room of the
Girls Directory" a charitable insti-
tuition, conducted by the Sisters of
Mercy in the old Reid residence, corner
OF Sixteenth and Couch streets. The
would be-murderer was a man of all
work about the place named Baylor
Childs, who, from the circumstances
surrounding the ,courrenoe, is clearly
insane. Miss Angela McGregor, a l6-
year.old inmate of the place, was his
intended victim, and only the unsteady
aim of a crazy man saved her life. A
few minutes after the shooting took
place, Childs presented himself at the
central police station, announced that
he had killed a girl on the corne of
Sixteenth and Couch streets and re-
quested that he be locked up. His re-
quest was complied with, and he is at
present in jail.
At 6 o'clock last night, as seven Of
the young girls, who are now staying
at the home, were sitting in the dining
room, eating supper, Childs, wild-eyed
and fo~urishing q pistol, came rushing
into the room, and, before they realized
what had happened, he began blazing
away into their midst. An indescrib'
able panic followed. The terrified
girls rushed frsntically about the room,
T and screaming and shriekiug in thei,
! fright. The room was filled witt
I smoke, and the reports OF Childs' PTS
, tol made the scene more confusing.
q Childs, however, was not disturbed
4 by the confusion, but followed the Nc
n Gregor girl, remarking cody: "Youl
find out you can't talk about me. e
a the girl shrunk, expecting instan
4 death, into a corner, he leveled his pls
y tol at her and fired a last shot; but hi
aim was wild, and the bullet burie
~ itself harmlessly in the wall over he
q head. Several Sisters, who were {
their prayers in the chapel upstair
Ia when the shooting began. heard tt
=. oommotion and rushed down stairs, a
irving on the scene as the maniac W
- firing the last shot, and, with remarI
able courage, they surrounded HIM al
endeayored to wrest the pistol from b
~. grasp. One of them seized his arr
in and shouted into his ear:
- "Childs, for Gods sake, what a
you doing this shooting for!'
:; Never you mindl You can't &c
-. me any. ] know what l am about
J" he howled. "Let me CO." and witt
~ powerful wrench, he tore himself LOO
from the grasp of the women, hu
open the door, and, with smoking pis
-. still in hand, rushed from the roc
70 leaving the frightened Sisters and tn
IN. still more frightened charges hudd
in one corner, limp with terror.
Childs' appearance at the pollce :
ton was hardly less sensational u
rs the shooting scrape itself. Capt
Gritzmacher vas sitting at MS ue
~ answering reports, when the feii
80 suddenly burst in through the oc
and pulled his still smoking Pr
, from his pocket. Thinking ne
: about to shoot, the captain sprang II
T.. his seat to seize him, but Chllds
- down his pistol and said quietly:
'ith II just shot a girl out at siztee
'!n and 6. She h~ypnotized me-
,as better lock me up II.
'",, Jailer Watson accordingly relle
iion the fellow of his weapon, and nc
= locked in a cell by himself, While
lnu GER sandstrom was sent out to slxte'
Il in ana oou0n
ould case "