The New York herald., 1872-07-07
MALPRACTICE MURDERS.
Horrible Developments i'm
Westchester County. ;.
A Mother and Child Tortured to Death-An
Awful Story Of Human Butchery-What
Heartleu Physician Did for "a
Bad Case'-Another Matter
for the Grand Jury.


through which the lives Of mother and child have
been inhumany sacrificed has just come to light at
Morrsania, Westchester county; and although the
soil of BensOnia Cemetery has already closed over
the dreadful work Of the woudbe accOucheur, it Is
not improbable that, ere many hours have passed,
the CHASTITY job will be brought face to face with its
perpetrator.
1t appears that a woman named Bridget Erd-
mond, the wife of a German laborer living on the
corner of Washington avenue and. Waverley street
Merose, died, as was supposed by the neighbors,
in childbirth on the Sd instant, and although cer
tifcate of burial, setting forth that death had
been occasioned by metropertontis, had been
granted by one of the physicians in at.
tendance, the husband of the deceased
requested DR.. N. x. Freeman, of West Farms, to
make post-mortem examination of the body. This
resulted in the discovery that the uterus was
shockingly ruptured.
JAGGED APERTURE
OF sufficient dimensions to admit q mans closed
hand presenting ITSELF Although aware that a
certificate OF burial had been granted by
DR.. McIlroy, the Health Oncer, (who was
called at the eleventh hour to relieve
the dying woman) DR.. Freeman at once notified
Coroner Meeks, who, for some reason, did not
arrive until next day, when the funeral Of mother
and child was on its way to the cemetery. Seeing
the melancholy state of affars and having satisfied
himself that q burial permit had been granted the
Coroner took no further steps fn the matter.
Yesterday HERALD representative waited on
Or. McIlroy in relation to the case and received
given in a frank, unhesitating manner:-
SlCKENING STORY.
Shortly o before noon tan on the sr list inst ne
and on proceeding to the house found the patient
much much prostrated, but apparently suffering
in attendance that midwife named Brown, who
lives Oh Washington avenue, near Prospect street,
had spent several hours while attempting to de-
liver the patient, he proceeded to examine the
latter, and found that the uterus had been rup-
tured and that the child lying in the cavity Of
called the female attendants aside and informed
them thai 1t was his duty to both mother and child
to deliver the woman, and this he would only per-
form with the assistance OF another physician, as
INSTRUMENTS AND CHLOROFORM
would both have to be employed. Having waited
about twenty minutes, mOmentariy expecting the
husbands return, DR.. McIlroy set on him
him the desired assistance. Soon afterwards,
and with the agencies Indicated, a fully developed
male child was brought into the world, on which,
however, its eyes never opened, as death ha1 evi,
denty taken place from the horrible treatment
which the mother had received. The patient was
made as comfortable as possible with anO-
be A'r rallying. DR.. Mcilroy subsequently saw W
ing Of the I'd instant, and did all that his skill and
experience could prompt to relieve her agony.
she fingered until about HVe O'CLOCK Oh the morn
ing of the 3d instant and died, after
ENDURING INExPREssIBIE SUFFERING.
The Doctor also stated that on returning to the
sick chamber with the assistant before alluded to
he found another woman added to the number
already present when he left. This person, who is
also termed a midwife, assured those around her
that the patient was ''all right,n and otherwise
acted In such an unbecOmlng manner that he found
1t necessary to eject her from the ROOM With re-
gard to giving
THE BURIAL CERTIFICATE,
the Doctor feels that he acted incautiOusly, al
though while writing IL he remarked to one OF his
professional brethren that he would In his official
capacity lay the matter of midwifery as at present
practsed extensively in the town, before the
Board of Health, at It's next meeting. II
may here be stated that the woman
Brown, who remained In the apartment while the
doctors were there, joined with the party VINO was
elected. in saying that the patient was no danger
adding that she had taken nothing but some pow
ders. The conduct of
CERTAIN PHYSICIAN
who was called in to attend to Mrs. ErdmOnd be-
fore DIR. McllrOy had been summoned is severely
commented upon. This member OF the medical
profession, it appears, on seeing the condition OF
the tortured patient, remarked that it was a bad
cascr and abruptly left the house without attempt
ing to alleviate her sufYeIings
The shocking affair has caused much Indignation
in the town, and especially among portion OF the
medical fraternity. 1t is certainly case which
should command q rigid investigation to the end
that the guilty party or parties may suffer FOR the
orr pnna erim