New-York daily tribune., 1859-05-26
A PROFEssuONAL CRIME.

I
human circumstances, and our surprise ceases aitel
halfs lifetimes experience, at any atrocity or any
faulty Of which the depravity or the weakness o.
the human heart is capable. But we confess to .
new surprise at the result of the rec mt seduction
case at North Adams, Massachusetts,. That mar
in good standing in society, in responsible posi-
ton as man of the world. esteemed in the church
for his outward good behavior and his inward
piety, husband and father, should fall from his
high estate, forget his obligations and his ties,
and Obedient only TO the dictates of mere
animal passion, should debauch and ruin a
young and confding girl, hardly more
than child, is unhappily not without precedent.
Nor was this the first ease in which young girl
he comfort of her parents the loved companion
# those of her own age; who had nothing to gain,
and who had everything to lose BY moments for
getfulness of her own purity-has apsed from inno-
cence, and become thing the most Stunned, at the
same time that it is the most pitied-a fallen
These were the circumstances of this North Adams
case, and which, though not new had brought desola
ton and desertion into one household desolation
and death into another, which made a tragedy to
be handed down, shame to be whispered in vii
lage history for generations yet unborn. But the
past ten days have revealed new facts in connec-
ton with it which make the story more shameful
than could at first have been conceived Of
twill be remembered that when the facts were
frstmsdepublic the statement was that Martha Ann
Butler, a young lady of hitherto pure reputation
and of respectable parentage, had died after lew
dsys illness. and that her illness was the conse-
ouence of an attempted abortion, she having been
seduced by Mr.. Littlefeld, the Cashier OF the
Bank in that village. The sin of the girl was coy-
cred UP in friendly grave; the seducer bad fled to
avoid the wrath Of an outraged community. The
parents were left to mourn, not that their child had
died, but that she had ever lived; and the wife Of
the faithless husband was left to struggle aonew tn
her sorrow, and to teach her chdrento forget that
they had ever had father.
But this, it seems not the end of the tragedy.
A COroner's Jury took the matter into c0nsidera-
ton, and the affair wears now an altogether new
aspect, or rather, new and revolving features are
given to that which was already SO terrible and
sad. Forse days this investigation was pursued
with pertnacity and fearessness which does
credit to those engaged in it. The attending
physicians and the physicians called in consulta-
tion the experts to whom the yiscera of the unor-
tunate girl were submitted the parents, The other
relatives. the servants, the friends and neghbors
who knew anything of the circumstances, were
all subjected to rigid and minute cross
examination. The result is one not honorable
to medical science and peculiarly dshonora-
Bile, even damning to the character of the gentle
men under whose hands Miss Butler died.
They WERE as the evidence shows incOntestably
and concusively. utterly mistaken in their dag
nosis On the suppostion of uterine Inflammation
from previous attempt at abortion, they endeav
ored by instruments to relieve the patient from
what they said was still left behiad In other
words, they attempted to finish an abortion-a
thing in itself professional enough, no doubt had
any abortion ever been begun No such thing
however, as the autopsy showed, had ever been
done, nor had any temptation to such an act ever
existed An erroneous diagnosis had been made;
an erroneous treatment had been followed;
a cruel story had been propogated, and, |
to cover up the error in judgment and the |
error in practice the false statement, re-
gardess of the feelings of parents and friends,
regardless of public excitement, regardless |
of true professional dignity and as foolish as it was
wcked-for il was sure to be discovered was ad- |
hered to- Miss Butler may have been seduced by |
Lttlefeld, aud probably had been, notwithstanding
the denial of both parties that they had ever in-
dulged in complete criminal intercourse; but there
was not only no evidence that the girl was or ever
had been enceinte, but all the evidence, from her
mother, from the washwomaD, from companions
Who had occupied the same room with her, and,
foafy, from the post morfem examination made
by these very physicians, went to show that she
never could have been in that condition. 1t is not
worth willie to 90 into this evidence, for though
tte ply sicians still adhere to their first
assertion, and still declare that the young girl
had gone two-thirds Of her time with child, the alb
sence of fatus, the continuance Of the regular
periods, which cease with impregnation, up to |
within month Of this last illness and the impOssi-
bty that any opportunity for abcrton existed
during this sickness, must settle the question as
concluseyely with the public as il did with the |
Coroner's Jury. Their verdict was that Miss But
Ter died of "peltoDeal infammation;" and they
might have properly and justly added that the dis
ease was aggravated by the ignorance of her at
tending physicians. Whether they can be con-
sidered responsible in any degree for her death,
they at least should be held accountable to public
opinion for persisting from unpardcnable prOfes-
sional PRIDE in an ncxcusable professional bunder.