The New York herald., 1922-03-15
VETS TRY TO LYNCH
MAN who shot PAL
200 Soldiers at Fox Hills
Hospital Rush at Civil
ian Guard.
JAILED TO SAVE HIM
Police Prevent Patients
From Getting at George
Smith.
sELF-DEFENsE IS CLAIM
Bernard Curran, Victim of Bull
let, Had Been Shell Shocked;
He Will Recover.

Bernard A. Curran of 1924 Third
avenue. shell shock and tubercular
patient at the Fox Hills Hospital on
Staten Island, was shot in the left
side and seriously wounded last night
at 6 o'clock by George Smith, a civilian
guard, during an alteration near the
Pennsylvania avenue entrance to the
hospital.
Immediately afterward almost 200
soldiers poured from the hospital
wards and tried to get at Smith, but
four other civilian guards armed with
and kept the veterans back until Capt.
James McIvor and ten policemen ar
rived at the hospital from the Staple
ton police station. Smith was then ar
rested. charged with felonious assault,
and locked up in Stapleton.
Curran, who was a private in the
s05th Infantry OF the Seventy-seventh
Division during the war, left the hos
pital about o'clock in the afternoon
with William Archer. who served in the
same regiment They got hold of some
liquor. and according to the statements
of Smith were intoxicated when they
returned to the hospital. Smith said
that ne was on duty at the Pennsylvania
avenue entrance. and that when lie saw
the two veterans reeling along he went
to their aid. intending to help them back
to their ward, No 25
Guard Assists Veterans.
The guard said that he slung his rifle
and took both Archer and Curran by
the arms. getting between them. and
began helping them through the en-
trance. They had reached point about
100 feet east of ward %. near the Ad-
ministration Building. when Curran sud-
denly turned on Smith and hit him in
the jaw, knocking him down. Smith
said that Archer then jumped on him
and that when Curran started to hit
him again he fired one shot In self de-
fense. The bullet went into Curran's
body between two ribs and the veteran
collapsed, unconscious.
The noise OF the shot and the yels
OF Archer brought soldiers pouring out
of Ward 25. They started for Smith.
One or two got hold Of him, but he
shook them off and started 10 run
around the Administration Building.
followed by the veterans. Smith ran
into the four other guards, who had
heard the shots.
These men. armed with rifles, formed
a Gordon around Smith and hustled him
to the guardhouse. They locked the door
and then managed to keep the angry
soldiers back by threatening to shoot.
The civilian guards, however. saw that
they would not be able to handle the
situation. so a telephone call was sent
he Ctap rolica station which
brought Capt. McIvor and the police
men in an automobile. The soldiers fell
back when they saw the uniforms of the
city policemen, and at the request OF
Capt McIvor they returned quietly to
the ward
First Transfers From Fox Hills.
Curran was taken into the operating
room and operated upon by DR.. William
F'redericks. who extracted the bullet.
Dr. Fredericks said afterward that Cur
ran was seriously hurt and that he was
already weak from the effects Of shell
shock and tuberculosis. but that he
probably would recover.
District Attorney Joseph +. Malloy
OF Richmond county was notified and
began an investigation. This will be
continued today. when the District At
torney will question both Smith and
ArHntTt tue OHiy llth WIZ ENN NA''
shooting.
The United States Public Health au-
thorities transferred 153 patients from
ths Fox Hills Hospital TO the Naval
Hospital in Brooklyn yesterday. the
first transfer since the orders abandon
ing the hospital was received from
Washington. Others will be removed
from day 10 day. and officials said that
they would close the institution on
March Al as Manned
a letter bearing the signatures of 12o
soldiers was sent 70 President Harding
Yesterday asking him TO postpone the
abandonment OF the hospital until an
institution can be built in the vicinity Of
New York 10 care for the patients. The
soldiers declare that they do not want
to be sent TO hospitals in other parts of
the country, whers they would not be
able to see their friends and relatives
as at present.