The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-12-19
Correspondence.
State VS.. Mrs. Catlin-A Rejoinder.

EdUOr Register and ,JOuTnuI: MY
attention has just been called to an ar
ticle in your issue OF the 18th inst. in
relation to the case State rs. Mrs. Cat
lin, which, | think, demands some re-
ply from me. This is the first time
have ever felt called upon to notice in
the public press personal assaults and
ISLANDERS; and | should not take the
trouble TO note this instance did | not
feel that public interests would be
served by truthful explanation of the
cause or causes that led to the failure
on the part of the States to proceed with
the trial. | take not the slightest excep-
ton to the motive of your severe criti-
cism of the part which You have been
led to believe ! acted; for, had | been
guilty of that OF which have been ac-
cused, 10 structures upon my conduct
could have been too severe
will take up and answer, in the or
der suggested by your article, the
various points of the case which it is
essential the pubic should understand.
But, in the first places let us look upon
the case as it was presented to me.
On the 18th day of December, 1888,
by request Of the States attorney of
Addison county, w., | went to the
house Of one Catlin, in the town of
Goshen, for the purpose of making a
post mOtem examination of said Cat.
Inns remains, and to remove and pre-
serve III careful manner such portions
OF the remains as an usually CHOSEN for
chemical examination in cases of pois-
oning by arsenic.
In what, essentially, does such an
examination consist? Simply the re.
moval of certain organs and por ions
of organs from the body and the sub
sequcnt preservation of the specimens
for the chemists use. Truly, the ma
ture of the examination, so far as the
removal OF parts for future eXamina.
ton goes, is not such as to require any
extraordinary knowledge of the subject
OF p0St-mOtem examination. 1t is
stated III your article that | blundered
and lgnorably and imperfectly dis
charged my duty. | do not claim to
have climbed to the highest pinnacle of
my profession, but do assert that hay
ing removed the viscera of more than
two hundred cadavers, and having
opened the abdominal cavity a score of
times in the living subject, have some
right to be heard in my own defense.
Moreover, | should hesitate to believe
that any person of ordinary intelli-
gence could. after a little reflection, be
brought to think that / could 90 about
that business, the accurate report of
which was to save or destroy life or
to deprive citizen of liberty, without
once taking into consideration the re-
sponsibility resting upon me.
MY nrst act was to procure two glass
jars having glass stOppers these | had
washed, disintected and re- washed bv
Mr.. Geo. a. CrOssman, a druggist in
Brandon. Then, engaging the assist
ance of DIR. Charles Fisher, a medical
gentleman of large autOpsical expert
ence, we repaired to Catlin's house i'm
Goshen. After making the necessary
preparations, | proceeded, in the pres
ence of the States attorney of Addison
county and several other witnesses, TO
open the abdomen, noting all that was
natural about the body and all that was
abnormal. DIR. Fisher acknowledged
the accuracy of the observations and
made notes of them for future refer
ence. Before removing it from its nat
ural position, and in order to perserve
its contents, tied both ends of the
stomach with a strong cord. Then cut
ting outside of or beyond those cords, |
removed the Whole stomach and placed
it carefully inside of one OF the glass
jars, obtained and prepared as above
stated. Pieces of the intestine were
placed in this jar also. The glass stop
per was then put in place and thor
oughly sealed with sealing-wax. In
the other glass jar portions of other
organs were placed. When it was
full, the second jar was also sealed
with sealing-waX. These two Jars
had combined capacity of about
three quarts, and they were filled with
quite enough material to satisfy the de-
mands of the most exacting chemist.
The jars were then separately wrapped
in strong wrapping paper, and the
wrappers were thoroughly sealed with
sealing-wax. Ten they were deliver
ed into the hands of the States attorney
OF Addison county who requested me