St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-12-20
An Important Trial.

The County Court has been engaged
three days this week in the trial of
case of more than usual interest-that
of DR.. Alvin r. Stokes of this town, for
committing an abortion upon the person
of Miss Edith S. Burnham of Irasburgh,
VT, on the 4th day of November, 1877,
at the dwelling of Blake Powers in
Waterford. The public may remember
that at the June term, 1873, of the Cal
edOnia County Court, the grand jury
presented five indictments against DR..
Stokes for five distinct cases of wicked
ly and unawfully procuring abortions.
DR.. Stokes history has been in many
respects singular one no one knows
where he came from, or how, when, or
where he procured his medical knOwl-
edge.
The case taken in the very best point
of view has a very dark side. Miss
Burnham had worked, prior to Nov. l,
1877, for Van Ness Spaulding, who
keeps, the Crystal Lake House," Bar
ton, and it is limited that her relations
with Mr.. Spaulding were much too in
innate for propriety. Any way DR..
Stokes says he was INTRODUCED to this
case by Mr.. Spaulding.
The respondent did not deny but he
aided in this abortion, but claimed that
what he did was only to save Miss
Burnham's life.
The first witness called was Miss
Burnham, who testified that she came
to st. Johnsbury Oct. 80 or 81, 1877, for
the purpose of having an abortion per-
formed that she was pregnant some
four to five months that she was in
good health as usual when she came to
st. Johnsbury ; that she sent for DR..
Stokes to visit her at the Avenue House;
that he came in and she told him her
situation that he made no particular
examination that she went to West
Concord with DR.. Stokes that day and
stayed over night ; next day DR.. Stokes
drove to Mr.. Powers and made arrange
ments for her stay there until she should
be delivered that DR.. Stokes procured
an abortion with an instrument that
she was delivered of child on Sunday
night; that the child was taken out
and buried. Miss Burnham further tes-
titled that she had taken quite a guam
tity of ergot of rye and cotton root !;
that she had been taking these drugs
some month or more before she came to
st. JOhnsbury.
Mr.. and Mrs. Blake Powers and their
son Allen, testified that on the list of
November 1877, about noon, DR.. Stokes
brought Miss Burnham to their house
and told them that he had girl there
that was in trouble and we were going
to help her out of it ; that they consent
ed she might stay with them; that the
child was born there, and was taken by
DR.. Stokes, put in a rasin box and was
buried that Stokes called the lady
Miss Smith.
During the trial the medical experts
had dispute as to the effect of ergot
and cotton root. The state introduced
as witnesses, Drs. Brooks, Billiard, and
CalderwOod of St. Johnsbury, DR.. Ca
hoon of Lyndon, DR.. Stiles of Sheffield,
who swore that the present opin-
ion of the medical fraternity now
is that these drugs will not pro-
duce abortion that they did not re-
gard these drugs as abortives. The re-
spondent introduced as experts, DIR. C.
NJ. futile of Littleton, Dr.. Browne oil
, St. Johnsbury, DR.. Calvin Woodward
of Danville. They swOre it was gener-
ally understood, and it was taught IN
the books, that ergot, ETC., were abort;
: ives.
This was in brief the only testimony
. except that of respondent, who stated
! that he met MIR. Spaulding on the street