The Washington times., 1919-12-20
PHYSICIAN IS SHOT
BY WOUNDED YANK
Or. Rooney Attacked in Provi-
dence Hospital by Soldier
Deemed Sighted.
CONTINUED from First PsgeD

At 1890 this morning. Miss Mary
Grogan, in her telephone booth. saw
HoIbert come down the east corridor
toward the rotunda as if to go out
on ID street. At that moment DR..
Rooney came through the west corri-
dor from the dispensary.
'Holbert turned back when he saw
the doctor" said Miss Grogan. He
stepped back until the doctor had
passed but was close by. Then he
fired three shots. DR.. Rooney gave a
cry and ran back toward the dis
pensary. i rushed out of the booth
and went upstairs, where / got a
physician. Then / went back to my
switchboard. 1 saw HoIbert run out
OF ths door with his revolver in his
hand"
Miss Grogan kept her nerve and
went on with her work for the rest
OF the forenoon.
Detectives Give Chase
Detectives Kelly and Scribner and
Policeman Dergan, who had been at
the hospital to see Detective Arm
strong, had just left when a soldier
ran out shouting to them to stop the
soldier running through the park
across the street They thought he
was an escaped insane patient run
ming away, but were told of the
shooting. and caught Holbert before
he had gone half way across the park.
David A. Miner, of Buffalo, a she'll
shock patient: William Frost, OF Pat
erson, y. j., a soldier with a bullet
wound in his lung, and Frank Riley, a
gas patient, Joined in the chase and
were close by when the capture was
made
DR.. Rooney was given first aid AMI
was then taken to the X-ray room
for examination of his wounds.
At the hospital it was said Holbert
had no reason to complain of any at.
titude of DR.. Rooney toward him. The
patient had made trouble repeatedly
| IL was said, and had recently been
removed from ST. vincent's to St
| Ambrose ward because OF an aIterca-
ton with a fellow patient
81 know what / have done. They
have mistreated me, and l have had
revenge"
This was the statement Of Holbert
| when brought to police headquarters
| and questioned by Inspector Clifford
l.. Grant, chief of detectives.
Calmly he told Inspector Grant
how he had been wounded overseas
during an engagement on the Argonne
front and was sent to this country
| in February patient at a hospital
| at Lakewood, n. J.
Holbert said that he served in Cam
pany A, OF the Twenty third infantry
and that he had been in the army for
ten years and seven months. He said
| that he enlisted at Galveston, Tex
and that he was discharged from the
] service on April 20, 1919.
"I came back from the firing line
in a bad condition" HoIbert said
and was sent to the hospital at Lake
wood.
while I was a patient at the hos
pital nurse came to me and ordered
| that l sweep out my room. 1 went Ia
get broom, and short time later
! a lieutenant asked me il / had swept
out the room.
Nurse Laughed at Him.
Then l was taken down with a
pain in my chest. and the lieutenant
| and the nurse came to the room and
/ laughed at me. 1 had just come of
| the battle line, and my thoughts were
TO kill the lieutenants, for they mis-
| treated me.
| Holbert said that he did not have q
revolver at that time and after Some
weeks he was discharged from tn,
| service. He had some money save
| and decided to go to his home, neal
! Millville, w. Va. for a visit, and thr T
| come back and get the lieutenants.'
! He declares that he purchased Ia,
revolver in West Virginia and cam,
\ to Washington about three month:
/ ago.
Shortly after his arrival he went q
| have a wound dressed at a Red Cros.
( station here and was directad 70 ~,
TO Providence Hospital
! Holoert told the detectives how ht
met DR.. Rooney in the corridor at tn,
hospital this morning and how. With
out a word, he drew the revolver anC
| fred three shots.
DR.. Rooney is twenty-eight years ole
and lives at 1880 Vermont avenue. Hi:
home is in Worcester, Mass