The Mankato free press., 1907-12-20
Charge Is Practicing Medicine
Without a Certificate.
Now Promises to QuitWisconsin;
Carries Away Money.
This Is Not First Time That He
Has Besn in Court.

Glenwood, Dec. lS.-"Dr." John Till,
the celebrated wonder worker of Som
erset, whose strange methods of heal
ing, his strange appearance and strang-
er remedies have made him famous and
much sought after throughout the
length and breath of the land, was
arrested yesterday morning. He was
taken before justice of the peace and
pleaded guilty to the charge of practic-
ing medicine without license, and on
the understanding that he is at once to
cease practicing in Wisconsin was fined
$50 and costs, which he paid.
The Wisconsin state board of medi-
cal examiners, it is said, was back of
this fastest attempt to put an end
to the practice of healing by Till,
though the complaining witness resides
in Glenwood and the warrant, which
was served by constable w. S. Tuttle
of this city, was returnable before
Justice Wall, also of Glenwood.
Till objected to going with the Of
ficers and drove to New Richmond in
separate rig. He also objected to COM
ing to Glenwood on a Wisconsin Gen.
trail freight train but finally consented
when it was explained to him that he
would save time by travelling that way.
He was accompanied by his landlord
and an attorney.
Till has been arrested and tried on
similar charges twice before. Once
the jury disagreed and again he was
acquitted Till denounced his third
arrest as persecution, but said he did
not mind it much. He says he has
committed no crime.
One year ago HI. FL. Dean, then dis
trict attorney for st. Croix county,
made determined effort to convict
Till on the same charge upon which
he was arrested yesterday, and al
though he failed to secure a conviction
the case was prosecuted so vigorously
that recently the state board, in res
ponse to numerous complaints made
to it, requested him, with the con-
sent of District Attorney Bradford to
take the lead in fresh prosecution
under the new statute enacted at Lne
last session of the legislature. The
result was today's arrest and plea of
guilty.
Till has become known from one
end of the country to the other al
a "wonder doctor" or ''healer." Patients
have travelled to his secluded home,
several miles away from any railroad
in the town of Somerset, from as far
away as California, and he has treated
in the neighborhood of 100 patients
daily for many months. His treat
ment consists chiefly of applying,
powerful irritating liquid to the pa
TENTS back with sponge, and he
treated virtually every chronic all
ment in the category, from cancer to
mild form of rheumatism. While it
has been charged that many deaths
have resulted from the applications
made by him, no action ever has been
begun against him for manslaughter
or damages, and Cnere are nunQTeuS
who still swear by him as healer.
Till is a native of Australia and a
small man of very ordinary appearance.
He is untidy in his dress and appar-
emily careless of his person. He pos
sesses peculiar gifts of mind reading,
and astonished some of his patients
with unlocked for exhibitions of this
strange power.
In an interview last evening Till an
nounced his intention of quitting Wis
consin for good in a few days. He
said he will have to do this if he
wishes to obey the law, as people flock
to him in such numbers and with such
persistency when his whereabouts is
known that it is practically .impossi-
BILE for him to keep from treating them.
In his Somerset practice he never made
charge outright but his patients paid
him voluntarily, and there is reason
to believe that he received hundreds
of thousands of dollars during the two
or more years that he was located