Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1867-07-29
AN INSPIRED PHYSICIAN ARRESTED
nm A CHARGE OF RAPE.

ON A CHARGE OF A
Last night, Chief Crowley and Detec-
tive Cannon arrested DR.. j. X. Sproul
upon a charge Of rape, made against
him by the step-daughter of DR.. Goss.
II seems that eight or nine months ago,
the wife of DR.. Goss was subjected to
medical treatment from DR.. Sproul and
| DR.. Goss, both of whom claim to be in
spired physicians. She died, leaving q
girl about twelve years of age, who was
| placed in charge of the landlady at
whose house these men had their room
and office, No. 30s Third street. After
tho death Of the reported Mrs. Goss, the
Doctor was sent upon an in~spirstional
expedition to Meadow Lake, where he
was to find an invalid that would be
placed in his care. All this was told
him by the inspired Sproul. After he
was gone, the girl says Sproul made
indecent propositions to her, and on the
evening Of the Fourth ofTJuly, while at
the fireworks, he committed tho disgust
ing outrage complained of. She imme-
diatsly informed the lady with whom
| she wal living, and she sent word to
her step-father, informing him OF the
case; but he took no interest in the
| affair, and even now tries to screen the
| Doctor, who seems TO view the whole
matter as q farce, and says the spirits
| will have him released in less than two
days. He says the invisibles told him
he was to DO imprisoned on the 18th,
and wonders why he was not. Whom
he found the officers were on his track
no came to the police office and hung
around there until arrested, Cannon
| found him at the Bailey House, and saw
| him give the cook a note and charge
| him to deliver it to no n but DR.. Goss.
The note Chief Crowley has in his pos
sessions. F. Flag ofFriday.
Many people in Gold Hill will remem-
Der tho little girl above referred to-a
very modest, pretty, tidy and amiable
little creaturs-hsr parents having occu-
pied the building now used as a part Of
Russell's Hotel. We copy the follow
ing further particulars from the San
Francisco Times:
It is alleged that the so-called step
father manifested no indignation when
informed Of the outrage said to have
been committed on his child, but coolly
stated that the little girl had beon suffer-
ing from disease for several years, and
that the spirits had told the doctor he
must take the method limited at to cure
her. This statement is 30 utterly re-
voting and abominable that one should
have imagined none but a lunatic could
have uttered it, and we trust, for tho
sake Of humanity, that there may have
been some misconception as to the mans
meaning. By this time detective officer
Cannon was hard at work hunting for
the accused, but for some hours his
quest proved fruitless. And now comes
a rather quaint incident in the generally
painful narrative. About 8 o'clock in
the morning, a nan entered the lower
Police Office, and coolly seated himself.
The Captain on duty, supposing that he
had como to see ome officer who might
happen to DO there on duty, paid no at
tention to him, and he sat there all the
morning. At 2 o'clock in the afternoon,
officer Cannon came in from the boot
less search, hot and tired. He glanced
casually round the Office, and was going
out again, when the stranger addressed
him, saying, what are yeu fellows
logging me round all day for?" Cannon
turned upon him with the natural reply
"Dogging you? Why, who are you ~
" Ny name is Sproul," wal the answer.
Why" said the officer, "you are the
man I have been looking for all the
morning" Sproul coolly replied, "If
you had stayed in your W office, you
| would have had no occasion to look for
me-" He was then arrested, locked up,
and a charge of rape entered against him
on tho police books. He denies the
crime he is charged with, but tho evil
dencs is very strong against him, and
his own conduct, as related by Mrs.
Nichols, when he was accused by the
child, looks, to say the least, extremely
suspicious. The poor child, who has
suffered 10 much through the fatuous
imbecility ofths pestilsnt humbug called
sp~irituslism, is q bright, intelligent,
amiable and a~ffsctionate little creature,
and extremely preposseIsing in her ap-
~pearance."
We find the following still further
particulars Of this unnatural affair in
tho Bulletin of Friday evening:
To-day, when the case was called,
Sproul was brought into Court. The
room was cleared of spectators, and the
testimony Of the child and of Mrs.
Nichols taken, but Sproul chose not to
hear any Of it. When the girl had con-
cluded, Judge Rix called the prisoner
to him and rehearsed her testimony,
asking him what he had to say. Sproul
stood up by the side Of the Judge raised
his hand and exclaimed: az am not in
this tribunal to answer to it for any
thing; l am here to do the will of my
Heavenly Father. l deny this charge
in toto, and your Honor will be con-
WINGED, but by nothing that | shall say
or try to prove. did not choke the
girl; / said, 'How dare you p and slap
ped her in tho face" He then sat down
and Mrs. Nichols gave her testimony,
which was very long. She denied that
she is a s~piritualist, free-lover, fortune
teller, or anything Of the kind, and said
she believed the whole thing to be q
delusion, and in this case at least, to
her certain knowledge, u most danger
Gus and pernicious one Sproul gave
no heed to the witnesses, and when
their testimony was ended tho Court
told him he had q right to make a state
ment. He arose and said: "Your
Honor, I have nothing to say except to
proclaim before you and all present that
I am wholly innocent Of this crime.
You, and these witnesses, and these
officers, and oil about me, arc only in
strumsnts in the hands of the higher
powers to put me through this siege.
It was decreed that / must 60 through
this siege. In a few days you will all
be convinced, but it will not be by any
word of mine; but / say you will be
convinced" He was ordered to appear
before the County Court, and asked if
he desired bail. "No," he replied, al
want nothing more; I want no bail.
This 10 the siege" He is q man APP
p~arently As years Of age, partially bald,
thin faced, with high cheek bones, and
eara which almost lon forward, and there