The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1877-07-12
COAL VALLEY INQUEST
In the matter of the Iuquisiticn on the
body Of Maggie Grifis.

nef Qeatn was Dy an aD0FtlOn prOuuceu upou |
her body about the oath of June, 1877,-l
that her death occurred July 9Th, 1877,-
that the miscarriage or abortion was ae-
by medicines or other instru-
mentalities. used, administered and fur
nished by one DR.. Keller, of Rock Island,
- that Samuel Powell aided and assisted
therein-also that Ann Roberts, the moth
er of the deceased, by criminal council and
advise aided and assisted therein-that
her death was the result of abortion pro-
duced as above stated.
When the jury returned their verdict,
acting coroner Hayden was placed in a
very delicate position. The law provides
that when the jury returns verdict, as
above, the coroner shall issue a warrant
and have the parties committed to the
county jail for trial. To do this, coroner
Hayden knew, would be to bring disgrace
upon a well known and respected physi-
clan, and as the evidence before the jury,
in his opinion, did not justify the Jury in
returning such verdict, and as he be-
lieved when the matter was brought into
court there would be no evidence agsinst
him, he hardly knew what to do. In this
dilemma he called upon the states attor-
ney and several of our most prominent
lawyers, and all acknowledged that the
case was very perplexing one, but the
only course they could see out of the diff
Guilty was to act as the law directs. Not
satisfied with this, Mr.. Hayden left on the
Peoria train this morning for Cambridge,
to consult with Judge Peasants. After
stating the case to him, and the determin.
alton of the defendants to remain and stand
trial, Judge Peasants advised him to lei
the matter rest as it was until next week
when he would be in the city, and could
give the matter his attention. Mr.. Hay
den returned on the noon train.
We give place to communication from
DR.. Keller 10 regard to his alleged connec'
ton with the unfortunate affair. We have
no comments to offer but leave the matter
in the hands of the proper authorities fol
all further and future proceedings, if such
be deemed necessary.
To the Editor of THE ARGUS.
| Learning that the coronor'S verdict o
the jury in the case OF the young woman
who died recently in Coal Valley, impli
Gates me in the affair, wish to make
statement of the facts in the case, in m,
own justification.
On the ed of March last, young wo
man, giving the name Of Maggie Jones
came to me in Mr., Thomas drug store
and asked me if would give her some
thing to cause her to menstruate, claimin
to have taken cold. She went with me t
my office, where | told her thatI suspect
ed she was trying to deceive me, and tina
| could do nothing till l was satisfied as t
her condition. She acquiesced in all tina
was necessary for this purpose, and fount
my suspicious were entirely groundless-i
being an utter impossibility that she coult
ever have known COTTON up to that time a
there was then existing conclusive physi
cal evidence to the contrary. BeheVin
from the symptoms that there was nothin
seriously the matter with her, gave he
prescription for slightly stimulatin
medicine, and told her to go home an
ftake hip bath, which | thought woul
, afford the necessary relief. She lei
the office and ! saw nothing more of he
till about three weeks ago.
j wish to say here, that the prescriptio
e [ gave her was not of an abortient natnFt
! Had she been enciente a bucket full of
could not have caused her to miscarr!
Also, that she told me then that she wa
stopping with her aunt, Mrs. Jones, in th
n lower part of the city, and that her fatht
lived ia Cleveland. l charged her nothin
: for the Observation-Disclosures did she pa
u anything for her medicine. and she LET
promising to settle as soon as she got tt
5, money-''as sure as her name was Magg
+ Jones'" This has been by-wo-d betwet
r myself and the druggists clerk ever sine
u She came to my house about thrt
weeks ago, during my absence, Viii
waiting for my return she told my wife {
about her condition; told her what h
ID errand ID town was, and told it in the hea
d ing OF one of my neighbor women. VIE
IN | came in my wife told me there was
lady in the front room who wished to s
10 me, making the remark that "she was
Is trouble AS soon as | saw her / ree0
ID nized her as the girl | had prescrib,
for before She Immediately, witho
90 any ceremony stated her Grand; to
50 me her name was Maggie Robbins
20 Roberts, am not certain which: tn
aSS she was four months advanced; tn
OF she had come TO town to have M
- carriage produced. | asked her if h
IS name was not Maggie Jones, and wheth
= she had not been to see me before in Il
"a hnx oh
any medicine from doctor in Rock Islam
and said she had never seen me befOf
IT, then asked her if any other person kn6
ID of her condition, and she said no one b
q. the woman she worked for and the N;
III who seduced her. did not ask his nan
" | then asked her il she had not told al
nc one in town. She declared she had NJ
ar | then told her that | was sorry to find h
ut out iu a falsehoOd-that she had told Il
al wife all about it, and that che had been
= see me before, and had given me the nan
OF of Maggie Jones. She then commenc,
z. crying and, after few moments, told 4
err she had DO parents living; had no frien
a in the world. and wished she was dea
She again asked me if could do anythil
ID for her, and / told her No
" advised her to go home and give
We her intention She said nothing to u
further about helping her. but show,
me bottle Of pills, commonly known
Clarkcs pill, and wished to know wheth
j., they would do Der any good | told b
10 | did not think they would. though th
OF might make her very sick. and advis
N her to throw them away, she cried Ii
moments and then LEFT.
After talking few moments to NV vi
OF on the subject, It passed from my mind
m entirely that / did not connect the ca
i'd with the accident in Coal Valley, until