Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-11-12
"STAFf OF EMINENT SURGEONS"


Fleeing tho Poor and AFFLICTED People by
the Score--"Froe Service" the Luring
Hnit--Tho "Medicine" Comes Very High.
A trio of men advertising themselves as
''the staff of Eminent Surgeons" with an
office at the southwest corner of Eleventh
and Market streets. are playing big conf
dence game in this city, gathering in piles
OF money from people suffering with
physical Affections, to whom is held out
the false promise Of speedy cure and the
Turing fiction Of free service" This
trinity of medical bushwhackers have
been operating here about u month,
fleeing invalids by the score, after de-
luding them with the belief that their
ailments can be corrected by the medi-
cine prescribed from the ''eninent" shop.
Within the past 10 days numerous com.
plants have reached The GAZETTE, and
the officials of the courts regarding the
plot of the glittering imposters aud this
paper has devoted considerable effort in
order to acquaint itself and inform the
public definitely as to the plans pursued
by which the unwary ore tricked out of
their money.
The Eminent Surgeons have plausi-
BILE but very bald scheme with which to
"Free serviceS is the bait they offer the
public, and advertise this feature of their
project big. The untbinking ones nat
urally are captured by this generous offer
and never learn that they have bitten at
costly hook until they come to pay for the
medicine which this so-called free service
requires The medicine must come
from the same shop as the treatment, and
while the latter is without price the for
mers merit Is all in its cost. A trifiing
little phial of liquid MIXTURE coming from
the shop of the Eminent Surgeons" costs
from s2 to IS, according to the means of
the deluded purchaser. 1t has the sole
merit of being harmless, and is, as
well, entirely valueless. medicine for
chronic invalids,' the lame or halt, is
supplied by contract at from $40 per
month upward.
The personnel of the "eminent starr is
DR.. J.. IL. Lukens, DIR" Davis and "Dr."
mertin. The former holds n certificate of
graduation from a deflnct institute where
the eclectic dogma of medicine was taught.
This diplomas only value is thatit enables
Or. Lukens to register as doctor of medi-
cine under the provisions of our lax laws
relating to the practice of this profession.
Neither 'Drs." Martin nor Davis are regis
tered with the clerk of the peace for the
naturally inferred reason that they are
even. without queer diploma. Lukens is
thechief dispenser of this trio of burlesque
DOCTORS Davis is the assistant and Martin
IS the advance courier, who selects new
tields for operations after the dlped people
begin TO realize that they have been
heeced. 1t is prudent to have a new claim
staked out ready for quick location.
The eminent surgeons have operated
in Philadelphia on South Ninth street and
in New York on West Fourteenth street.
Two months in each city brought swarns
of their duped victims clamorously about
their cars and they moved from the former
to the latter city.
The GAZETTE has in its possession
numerous facts, fully substantiated to estab-
llsh beyond doubt that these "eminent
surgeons are arrant huinbugs. They i'm
pose upon that class of people whose
means are limited and are first lured to
their shop by the tickle promise of free SER
vice Then upon the false promise to cure
Their suffefings and heal their ills, the
afflicted often make great sacrifices in the
happy but vain hope that health may be
theirs again; that their deliverance is at
hand. It is pathetic bit of deviltry; lit
orally robbing the poor, already oppressed
by their Illness disabling them from gain
ing more than livelihood, giving up their
all to buy worthless connection.
Unfortunately there is no provision
under the State law by which they can be
sent to New Castle Jail or the attorney-gen-
eral would have given their case his per-
sonal attention, as complaints have been
lodged with the justices by several victims.
1t is Il case Of swindling for which the State
has no penalty to fit the crime