A dapper 57-year-old resident of Concord, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty October 13 to criminal mischief for methodically removing the front and back pages of more than 300 Concord Library books. He paid a $1,200 fine to the library, the Concord Monitor reported.
Giving no reason for the rampage, William Linehan said, "I don't really know. It was just a stupid thing. I think it was the risk which was a kick." He said he had never done anything similar.
Pointing out that Linehan has been a professional dealer of historic autographs for 15 years, prosecutors theorized he mutilated the books because he needed paper from a particular era to legitimize forged signatures. The Universal Autograph Collectors Club expelled Linehan last year following a complaint from another member that Linehan had sold him a phony autograph of rock star Jim Morrison.
Posted October 19, 1998.