The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-07-03
TORRENTS OF HOSPITALS.
Some of the Tricks of Impostors VINO
Seek Shelter.


Every hospital has its pests in the
! shape of faSirs. Some affect one insu-
tuition. others another. With one man
one form OF imaginary or pretended az
Fiction is popular. With the next conner
there Is an entirely different trouble.
! Most of them are old offenders VINO nave
come TO be known at every hospital IN
New York city by repetition or thelr
tales Of woe, and must needs ran pach
upon nobO-en or Newark Tor the no
torietv they crave. In the majority or
cases this is the end and aim of their
pretence, and a paragraph in the news
papers Is ample reward for the punish
ment that follows their exposure. for
found out they are certain to be sooner
or later. Even though the public prints
show them up In their true colors. they
are still satisfied merely in getting their
names In the papers. a minority are
frauds for the sake Of sympathy or Tot
, food and shelter but the true type Is
the notoriety seeker.
Defender" Gallagher is a notable
specimen. He is about 30 and lives on
tire west side. 1t Is his mission in life.
as he would have the public believe, to
rescue prosecuted females from the at
tacks OF large and powerful rufiians. AS
the Defender is small and slight HIM
self IT IS perhaps II bit OF artistic Ver-
similitude that he always goes TO the
hospital with broken arm as a result
of each encounter. If he can get m
ambulance to take him, so much the
! better: II not. he is content to walk.
grooming at every step. To the clerk
at the hospital this is the sort Of tale
ne relates:
ct saw big. rough-looking fellow ac-
cost a young lady on the Boulevard and
{ went TO her aid. AS ! told the fellow
to mind his own business, his pal came
up and both attacked me. l knocked the
first one down, but The other caught me
from behind and threw me. and ] fear
my arm is broken Some citizens came
70 my aid and the ruftians fed In the
excitement the young lady went away
To the usual request for his name he
always replies:
MY name is Gallagher. They call me
Defender Gallagher because Of my re-
cord In defending ladies in distress
against insult and ill-uSage."
Occasionally, by way of variation. Mr..
Gallagher's legend Is built around fair
bicyclist dragged from her wheel by
drunken rowdies. and once at least he
has fractured a heroic arm IN the rescue
OF a baby carriage and its occupant
from q gang OF ruffians who sought to
kidnap tbs infant. Invariably the er-
aiming physicians have been unable 10
discover any fracture OF other injury.
wake up the next morning and find I'm
some paper a paragraph about like this:
"a young man named Gallagher came
into the Roosevelt Hospital last night
saying that his arm had been broken
In an encounter with roughs who had
insulted woman on the Boulevard near
Sixty-eighth street. His clothes were
muddied and he looked as If he had been
In fight. but both his arms were sound.
The police OF the West Sixty-eighth
street station said that they had heard
nothing OF the matter. Gallagher was
sent away
Prudence kept the Defender" from re-
peaung his visit after short interval.
and he was reported from one inst;tu-
ton after another until. abvut two
months ago. he made the mistake OF GO
ing 70 Roosevelt Hospital. which ne had
visited only four months previously with
his tale Of woe. Unfortunately for him,