The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-05-24

Every day for more than two weeks large
crowd has been going in and out OF the pre-
mises No. Ala Sixth street northwest, quiet
appearing house. About a fortnight ago
tin sign was nailed to the front of the house
which read physicians and Surgeons" Yes
terday the attendance was cut short by the
arrival Of Detective Raff and Sergeant Byrnes,
OF the Sixth Precinct, with squad of officers,
who took possession Of the first floor and ar
rested George f. Whitney and Dudley N.
Dickerson on the charge of false pretenses
and doing business as unlicensed pharmacists.
The men arrested constituted the 'seminent
staff of governmental physicians and sur
geons," who, according to extensive adver-
tisements in the local press, announced that
free of charge they would offer their services
to all who desired to consult them until the
14th of June The advertisement concluded:
"P. s. This governmental staff of physicians
and surgeons is incorporated by an act OF the
legislature"
The advertisements were alluring, and hun
dreds OF the sick, the halt, and the blind Wis
tied there daily. Recently complaints were
made to the detective Office OF exorbitant
charges made by the doctors. Some. patients
charged that the methods Of the doctors were
which resulted in their arrest yesterday. The
arrests were made on warrant sworn out by
Louis Ray charging that George F. Whitney
had obtained from him the sum OF SIS by
false pretenses. In the doctors rooms were
found large array of surgical Instruments
and necessary supplies for small-sized phar-
macy. rs.eaF
The arrested men are refined-looking, we'll
dressed men and when taken into CUSTODY Dr.
Whitney had $500 in his pocket. An exami-
~ fhaSr
consulted by patient they diagnosed his case,
stated that they would undertake to cure him
in q stated time, and set sums varying from $40
to $26 as their price. This they declared was
not for their services, but simply for the medi-
cine. They would then accept whatever sum
they could obtain and for it supply the patient
with a bottle of medicine. One of these bot
ties, of which there were large number In
the room, was examined by DR.. Magruder,
who, it is said, declared that 1t contained
mixture. OF iicorice, aniseed, paregoric, and
some other simple remedy. This mixture is
simple remedy which acts as tonic.
The doctors have been carrying on their
business in this city since May z and during
this timehave "treated'' ,601 persons, from all
Of whom they received some money, never,
ceipts ran from $3.50 to $l1S, averaging $50
for their visit. The doctors were consulted,
as rule, by poorer class of people who, at
tracted by the sign "free of CHARGE" hoped TO
secure some alleviation from their various
illnesses. Many of them were poor colored peo-
pie. When arrested the men professed great
indignation and expressed themselves as of
the opinion that they had believed the people
of Washington were human. They were
locked up at the New Jersey-avenue station
house. Late last night DR.. Dickerson was re-
leased on $4O0 bail, but DR.. Whitney was
unable to secure bail.
To reporter of THE SUNDAY HERALD they
at first were very reticent. They finally be-
came communicative, however, and talked
quite freely. DIR. Dickerson was the spokes-
man, and to,him DR.. Whitney always looked
before answering the questions put to them.
They designated their imprisonment as an
outrage, and declared some one would pay
dearly for it. They asserted that they had
transgressed no law and could not be legally
detained. Their advertisement they acknowi-
edged to be misleading, and admitted that it
was big drawing card and that was the rea-
son they used 1t.
sour name," said Dickerson, 'syou will no
tice Is not government staff but govern
mental staff. We do not say in the advertise
ment that our treatment is free of charge, but
our services. There was no false pretense l
am well enough acquainted with law to know
that, and every one who visited us saw
plainly what was going on.''
The doctors evidently understood clearly
how they stood legally, and had no fear of
conviction. DIR. Dickerson said that he was a
graduate of a medical college in Cincinnati,
and had practiced eight years in Toledo He
is accompanied by his wife, who obtained
the assistance of a lawyer for her husband,
and last night when a reporter called at the
house he was Informed that she was out on
business. DR.. Whitney claims to have grad
uated as an M. ID. from Harvard last year.
Both claimed that they had never been in
trouble before.
In reply to an inquiry as to what other
cities they had practiced In under the name of
tGOVerpmental Staff of PhVsicians and Sur-
geons," DIR. Dickerson said: "We have
worked Portland, Seattle Kansas City, Cleve-
land, and other places" For long time the
doctors refused to say by what legislature
they were Incorporated, but at length said In
Canada. A number of men were incorporated
under this name and several parties sent out to
go through the various cities In the United
States. A hearing will be given them to-mor-
row.
A Noble Act.
Friends Of Mr.. Edward Royal Tyler who