The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-01-31
THE CARRUTH CASE,
A MAZE OF CONTRADICTORY TIES
TIMONY BY PHYSICIANS

IlMONY BY PHYSICIANS.
LAND1s's ROMANTIC MARRIAGE tn rgv
DAUGHTER OF COMMODORE MEADE-THE
FIRST TESTIMONY THAT HAS MADE THE
PRISONER sQUIRM.
The Bridgeton correspondent of the Nav
York Sun OF Wednesday says: Francis p.
Croker, editor of the Vineland Weekly, tes-
titled this morning in rebuttal of the testi-
mony for Lands, that the prisoner had
contributed articles to the Weekly. He
identified a description of Landis' marriage
furnished in 1868, and to which lands
signed his name. The defense struggled in
vain to prevent the article being put in eyi.
dence. The witness admitted, with much
evasion, he had no doubt Lands was the
author OF the article. The de-
scription opened with the words of
Otbello to the "Most Potent, Grave. and
Reverend Seisniors; That L have taken
away this old mans daughter" and went
on to describe the difficulties which beset
him at every step in his efforts TO make
Commodore Meade's daughter his wife.
The commodore, who was living In Brook
Ign, refused to receive Lands as his son
ln-law because OF his religion, he beirg
Protestant, his social standing and bis age.
With regard to the last objection Lands,
who was only thirty-four years old, did not
know whether he was too young or too old.
He consulted Father Franciols, who min
istered to the Meade family, and obtained
his sanction, as well as the approval of all
the young lady's relations except her father.
lands was warned that the commodore
. HAD DECIDED TO BLOW HIS BRAINS OUT.
A day was nevertheless named for the mar
riage, but when Lands went to Brooklyn
he ascertsined that his future father-in-law
had been sent to the Bloomingdale Asylum
for the Insane. The marriage ceremony
was performed and Lands took his wife to
Vinelsnd. He sverred that his chief motive
in writing the article to the Vineland
Weekly was to refute the malicious report
that he had been instrumental in having the
old commodore confined in the asylum for
the insane in order to sweep away the only
obstacle to his marriage with his daughter.
The article closed with profusion of pious
thanks for his success in securing Miss
Meade for his wife and an avowed determine
ton to devote his life to make her happy.
While the attorney general read the article
slowly and with emphasis, unsparingly
lending all the force possible to the points
he deemed most important, Landis's
agitation was painful to see.
His face, hitherto sshy pale, flushed
holly, his dull eyes flashed and occasionally
fastened fiercely upon the attorney general,
his long, thin fingers twined about each
other with irrepressible emotion, and for
once, at least, in the course of the trial he
was thoroughly aroused from his apathy
and Indifference. His sister and other
friends watched him closely and snxiously.
evidently apprehensive of violent out
break. He mastered his emotion, however,
and listened with comparative calmness to
the reading OF an agricultural article
written by himself for the Vineland Weekly,
and evinciDg very thorough knowledge of
Il A. AA To- ~ NJ
Crocker promised 10 be protracted, he was
allowed to stand aside, and Lewis w.
Brown, who attended Mr.. Carruth in his
illness, testified that the wound was treated
correctly. He did not notice
SYMPTOMS OF ABsCEssEs ON THE BRAIN.
The patient told him that Drs. Bidwell and
Ingrsham had recommended opening the
abscess on the back of the neck, but added
that he thought their advice did not amount
to much. Ca-ruth was averse to having any
operation performed, but said if it had 20 be
done he wished DR.. Brown to do it. The
witness thought it unnecessary, and soon
afterward the abscess began to discharge
itself. Under cross-examination the wit
ness said he saw DIR. Morgan probe the
| wound and failed to find the passage DIR.
Fuller had spoken of. DR.. Fuller then took
the probe, turned it little to the right and
passed it on. The witness heard Csrruth
| complain OF being butchered by the sur
geons. The wound did not cease to discharge
until about month previous
| to Carruth's death. The dis
charge from the orifce was connected with
| the abscess on the back of the neck, and the
latter quickly decreased in S re after it began
| 10 discharge and was nearly well when Mr.
| Carruth die6. Professor Joshua X. Thomas,
a homeopathist and demonstration OF anatomy
in Hshnemann College. PHILADELPHIA, was
| called by the attorney general, and he testi-
| fed that the exposure of the orihce by the
removal OF the skull would not show the
protruding abscess. There was nothing
observable after the removal of the skull to
indicate that the protrusion was caused by
an abscess. There were, however, four alb
scesses on Carruth's brain, and had sharp
instrument been passed through the oriice
| it would have punctured first the dura ma
ter, then to the brain substance, and last
| the wall of the abscess. From the external
APPEARANCES OF CARRUTH's WOUND
it could not have been determined that an
abscess had formed on the brain. 1t would
have been improper for surgeon to have
attempted to puncture the sbscess unless
he had positive knowledge of its situation.
This knowledge, the witness thought, II
was impossible to obtain in Csrruth's case.
Successful opening of Assesses of the brain
| were very rare, and the chances OF saving
life by such an operation were exceedingly
small. 1t had been performed some years
ago in New York, under more than ordi-
narily favorable circumstances, and re-
suited merely in a prolongation of the
| patients life for seven weeks. Agitation on
| the part OF person suffering from an injury
to the brain was likely to produce disas-
trous consequences. The witness said,
under cross examination, that unless an
abscess on the brain could be opened
death must result. The assesses on
| Carruth's brain could not have been de-
| tected while the patient was living. Dr.
John G. Morgan, homeopathic physician
| was familiar with brain wounds. Recover
les from such injuries were so rare that nc
| record had been kept OF them. He attended
| Mr.. Carruth. and was convinced that the