The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-10-26
LEGAL rNTELLIGENcN.
Court OF Oyer aud Terinincr-Judges Ludlow
and Peirce.
THE WELSH HOMICIDE.

THE WELSH HOMICIDE.
This morning the Court resumed the trial OF the
young woman Annie Peoples, who is charged with
having taken the life Of James Welsh in the month
of June, 1852 The accused is Slight delicate girl
of 10, and has earned "a livelihood as an operative
in factory. on the part of the commonwealth it
alleged that on the day of this occurrence she
had been intoxicated and the deceased, her cousin
had caused her to be arrested.
IN the evening she returned enragcd to the house
where the deceased was lying upon settee, and
seizng a lighted coaoil lamp threw it at him, it
burning oil falling upon his body, making horrible
wounds upon his face arms, breast and head. lie
hurried to the Pennsylvania Hospital, where on
the 23d of the same month he died. In answer to
these allegations as to the facts of the occurrence,
honest, industrious, and respectable young woman
whose chief fault was a love OF strong drink,
in which, however, she indulged but seldom on
this occasion, being unaCCuStOmed to drinking, she
was most singuary Affected ana had been treated
brutally by the deceased who had violently thrown
her down and chOked her until she nearly Surio-
Gated. These, however, We're not the principal
points of contention between the prosecution and
the hospital the deceased under the treatment
of Dr. liewson, who applied what is known as the
''earth remedy" which is the application to the
wounded parts OF pure clay earth, ground into nne
powder.
some of the burns, particularly the one upon the
bridge OF the nose, were deep extending through
the three layers of skin and forming ulcers and the
patient was very irritable and suffering most violent
pains This earth powder placed upon them,
and the suppuration from them saturated it, close
cakes were formed which were sometimes removed
and supplied by new layers OF the powder, and some
times covered by additional cOatings. This con-
tnued upon the face and hands, but for short time
carbolic acid glycerine dressing for the anus was
substituted. The patient was at first placed in
long light ward, with some thirty or forty other pa
ticntS, where the hies swarmed IN such numbers
That every day bssin fall OF Them that had been
poisoned, were swept up from the lioor. Evidently
posOns We're constantly used to Keep the flies away
Great numbers OF maggots appeared in the wound,
which, though removed, continued 10 return until
finally he had TO be removed to dark ward Here
the earth dressing was taken OIL and the coldwater
wash was nsed, and in a few days the patient died.
This remedy, Dr. HewsOn maintained, was in most
cases effective one; it could he said that the pr0
perties of the earth were snch as themselves to
upon the wound and heal IT, for many of the reme-
dies used by physicians could not be explained as to
their immediate and direct action upon the affected
parts; but the CLAY was most secure protection to
the wound from the open air, and the patient in this
case assured him that when this clay was first APP
piled ii gave HIM great relief
The wounds We're deemed fatal and caused death.
The defense, in this regard started with the asser
ton that the injuries were not necessarily fatal anu
death resulted not from them, hut from maltreat-
ment in the use Of this remedy which had been con-
demned and discontinued by the medical faculty.
There was nothing IN tue clay to assist nature anl
il Increased the pain OF the patient. II caused a
most disgusting odor, which must have impeded "A
more perfect treatment.
The 1rst object of physicians in treating such
cases was TO relieve the patient of his pain, and
there were known remedies which had this elcct
but which, however, were not used. Alter the
patient had been reduced and tortured by maggots
he was removed to the dark room in the basement,
the atmosphere OF which was bad. aud stream of
water turned upon the wounds, which gave great
shock and the patient died
This clay was the cause Of such multitude OF
liggUlS lOl IL seeAieu, more lluu any Olncf dress
ing used. 70 attract the dies, which dropped live
maggOts upon Il and when this was removed from
the cases ia the ward, not another one was 10 be
found in any OF the cases. This dressing was re-
newed and continued up 20 his death.
This case was Que in which the jury would have
70 decide whether the life OF James Welsh was taken
by Annie Peoples or by the medical men at the
PENNSYLVANIA Hospital; for the defense maintained
that the wounds were not mortal, but could easily
enough have been cured; but the doctors who
attended him treated him with an experiment
which the whole profession have rejected as puerile
DT gufhtr
lnent ana the utOent shock given to the patients
already shattered system, lockjaw set in and he
died "
The attepdance Of physicians at Court was un-
usually large, the interest to them being great and
they were anxious TO see whether a Jury in omen
court would condemn by their verdict a mode of
treatment oflate invention ana in their practice
AT the close Of our report the trial had not been
concluded.
1Franklins autobiography has been printed
in Florence.