Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-09-19
Threatened LIFE
Of DR.. meredith

/ william Guilford. commonly known
a. "Wild BIZ was arraigned before
Justice of The Peace Ogleshy Monday
90 answer the charge Of making threats.
lie was held for court and IN default
of bail was committed to Jail
The information was made by DR.
II. h. Meredith. su 1erintending ply.
siciau of the hospital for the insane.
IL set forth IL the usual form that
william Guilford had threatened DR..
Meredith and that the latter was afraid
that Guilford wc' do him serious
bodily harm.
The hearing took place at 3 80
o'clock. Hon. r. 5. zimmerman, h
attorney. was present with Or. Mere
dith. Alfred Stead and Harry Map
stone. attendants, were present as wit.
nesses
The defendant pleaded mot guilty
/ The testimony of both Stead and Map
stone was to the effect that the defend
ant appeared at the hospital one day
last week and threatened TO fix" DR..
Meredith-'if it would take ten years
| from now.
Dr. Meredith explained that the de-
/ fendant had been an inmate at the
hospital for the insane several differ
ent times, he date of his last commit
ment being October 4. 1898. DR.. Mere
/ dith read the report of the commits
sion, appointed by the court of Clin-
/ ton county, which found the defend
ant insane and suitable subject for
confinement. Guilford was released
from the hospital finally March 80.
/ 1902 Certain representations we've
made to the commission of lunscy,
which recommended his discharge.
| DR.. Meredith stated, howe' er, that he
! does not consider the defendant saft
person to be at large and that he
/ should be restrained. The authorities
of Clinton county, whore ID had Civ
Ell troub'e. concurred in Guilford's re-
lease only on condition .hat he should
not return to that county. DR.. Mere
dith stated that from the time of the
defendants release he had heard moth
( ing OF him until some ten days ago
when he reappeared at Danville.
Justice Oglesby held the defendant
for court in $780, 90 bail The defend
ant being asked if he could procure a
/ bondsman replied. Yes-but not
here. l will write for bail and I'll get
/ it. Under the circumsta there
was no alternative but to commits him
to Jail The defendant acquiesced
gracefully enough except that he OBJ
4 jected to having the nippers placed
upon hisgwrists.- He assured the offic-
ers that he wouldn't run" ana ridi-
culed the idea of employing force. lie
was obliged to submit, however.
On searching Guilford at the Jail
the officers found a small pair of scis-
sors, one of the blades of which was
sharpened to very fine point. He
was loath TO part with the scissors and
urged the officers TO be very careful of
them, as they had history.
The history, as he proceeded to ve
it. consisted of the fact that the pair
of scissors was the weapon used by the
Italian patient to murder DR.. John
ston, one of hospital physicians, a few
years ago Guilford called attention
to some blood stains, which are clear
| ly in evidence on the scissors, and
which. he states, were received at the
sime of Dr. Johnston's murder. The
pair of scissors, according to Guilford,
was in possession of the italian patti
ent and was carried in his pocket for
weeks before he committed the muir
der. Whether the scissors are associat-
ed as described with the terrible trag-
edy or the whole thing is only delu-
sion of "Wild Bills" can not be de-
termined at present.
'Wild Bills spectacular perform
ances began early Monday morning.
Sunday afternoon when the heat was
almost sitting in the lookup Bill
wanted fire. He renewed his request
Monday morning and was granted
the fire this time, as he said he want
ed to wash his shirt. He had no SOON
er washed his shirt than he concluded
the lookup needed a good scrubbing
He heated more water and got busy
with broom and mop. He told Chief
Mincemoyer that he ought to be
ashamed of himself to maintain such
an unclean place Bill didn't slight a
single nook or corner and when the
chief appeared with the prisoner S
dinner wonderful transformation had
been wrought. Everything about the
bastile was as clean as a new pin.
After the hearing "Bill" confided
to the AMERICAN representative
that he was on to them. " "They are
trying to get me back into the hospit.
al" he said, "but they'll be fooled, -
Bill denied that he was at the hospit-
al or that he had ever seen or talked
to the two attendants, who testified as
TO his threats
| Gospel rIeetings.