Morning Journal And Courier

Rev. Dr. Hall the Target for a Crazy

Man's Bullets-Three Shots Fired

Without Effect-The Would-be As-

sassin Locked

Up-The Papers

Found on His Person.

New York, Nov. 29.-As Rev. John

Hall, pastor of the Fifth Avenue Presby-

terian church, was passing from the church

to the pastorage adjoining, just after the

morning service to-day, John G. Rath, a

German, forty-five years of age, stepped

from behind a wagon on the opposite side

of the avenue and fired three shots in quick

succession at

the reverend

gentleman

as

he

was

about

ascending

the

steps

of

his

residence.

The

first shot struck the stone stoop of the doc-

tor's house, the second perforated one of

the glass panels of the front door and the

third flattened itself against the side of

the house. The shooter coolly put up the

pistol, a five-chambered revolver of the

pattern known as the 'Young America,"

in his pocket, while A. E. Dick, a member

of Dr. Hall's church, and the sexton jump-

ed upon him and held him until the arriv-

al of an officer. Rath made no resistance

and was led away to the Fifty-first street

station and locked up.

Shortly afterward Dr. Hall went to the

station and preferred a complaint against

the prisoner. Rath is a heavy, well built

man, with whiskers and moustache, well

dressed and looks like a well-to-do busi-

ness man. He said he was a real estate

dealer. A great crowd was present when

the shooting occurred, and for a while the

most intense excitement prevailed. About

fifty people followed the officer to the sta-

tion and saw that the prisoner was safely

landed behind the bars. It was an emi-

nently

respectable

and

order-

ly

crowd,

composed

mostly

of

church-going people, many of whom were

members of Dr. Hall's church. The pris-

oner was evidently not in his right mind.

He muttered something about a conspiracy

which he imagined existed against him.

Two papers found on his person showed

the bias of his imagination.

One docu-

ment was in manuscript and the other was

printed, but both were substantially the

same. The printed paper was more cir-

cumstantial in the history of the alleged

conspiracy to drive the writer to sui-

cide

or

crime.

It

stated that

agents

in

the

hands of wealthy

and influential people were doing all in

their power to prevent him from rising in

business, even watching all his steps and

making it impossible for him to obtain

justice.

His tormentors, too, it is said,

mixed obnoxious stuff in his food, thereby

causing him intense distress.

The con-

spiracy, the statement declared, was in-

augurated in 1879, and had no equal in

human history. The statement goes on in

this sort of style at great length, plainly

showing that the author's mind was un-

balanced. The document that Dr. Potter, Dr.

Hall and Judge Hilton were the chief con-

spirators and that Mrs. A. T. Stewart was

a good friend of the prisoner stated after

his arrest that Dr. Hall was chief among

those conspiring to do him bodily and

mental harm. Inquiry at the address

given by the prisoner discovered a cheap

restaurant and lodging house. It is locat-

ed in the tenement house quarter and is

patronized by very poor people, mostly

foreigners. The landlord said Rath had

occupied a room for four months, had

been in this country twenty years and had

acquired a fair knowledge of the English

language.

The landlord said that the prisoner had

been employed in an incubating establish-

ment in Brooklyn. Rath often paced his

room and talked incoherently. Still he

had not thought him dangerous. Dr. Hall

was seen shortly after the shooting. He

manifested no nervousness, but declined

to converse upon the topic. He admitted

he had known Rath for some time and had

received letters from him, but he declined

to say what was the nature of the matter

written to him or whether it was replied to.

The prisoner was reticent and seemed to be

laboring under suppressed excitement.

He paced nervously up and down his cell

and paid little attention to his surround-

ings. He will be arraigned to-morrow.

It is said that Rath was a member of Dr.

Hall's church and had attended at frequent

intervals. The last time he was seen there

was about a year ago. Some years ago the

doctor assisted the man financially, but

he had seen nothing of him for some

time.