The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1893-03-17
INFANT IN THE FURNACE.
Strange Work of "a Helena Physician Now
to be Investigated.


Strange Work of "a Helena Physician Now
to be Investigated.
This remarkable story is reprinted
from the Helena Independent:
Coroner Peasants yesterday held an
inquest On the body Of a we'll deve oped
infant taken from the furnace in the
Masonic temple. VIM. B~ickenstaff, fire.
man for the building, was the principal
witness. His testimony was to the eff.
feet that on last Saturday about five
o'clock, while he was standing in the
hall between the outside door and the
boiler room, DIR. L. l.. Kellogg came out
of his Office and asked him il there was
a good fire in the furnace. On being in
formed that there was the doctor went
to the furnace, opened the door, put "A
package he had in his hand on a shovel
and threw it into the fire. immediately
OF the retirement of the doctor Bick-
staff testified that he went to the fur
mace, and taking the shovel removed the
package. He had his fires banked in
front and the parcel was thrown beyond
the rec Goals onto some dead ashes.
Opening the parcel Bickerstatf SAID he
found it contained the headless body of
a baby. He left it in an unoccupicd
room till Monday, when he took it to
Drs. cole and Bullard, and asked them
what he should do about il. They told
him to see the county attorney, but this
he did not do, because he was sick,
In reply to questions of County At
torney Nolan, who vas present at the
request of the coroner, Bickeustatf said
he had his suspicion aroused in regard
to parcels DIR. Kellogg was throwing in
to the furnace by Jas. Fullerton, a for
mer fireman, who, he said, had told him
that the doctor threw embryo infants in
to the furnace. Bickenstatf testified
that Il few days before DR.. Kellogg had
thrown into the furnace the leg of an
adult. He did not know whether it was
lawful or not, and he asked Mr.. Ray,
Mr.. Parchen's representative about it.
The latter said he did not know whether
1t was or not, and on being told what
Fullerton said, advised that if he found
the body of IN infant in the furnace he
had better report it.
James Turner, an assistant of Bicken-
staff E. testified to the circumstances of
the body being put into the furnace and
its rescue by Bickenstaff.
DR.. Co @ was the ext witness. He
said he first say the body on Monday.
when Bickenstatf brOugh it to his Of
flee. In his opinion it was a male, pro-
crossed betwee" the sixth and 8 venth
month. AS to whether it was alive when
born he could not say. but he could not
conceive OF any reason why the head
should pave been removed. He also tes-
titled that in cases Of premature births
1t was not the custom of physicians to
take charge of the results nor to con-
sign them to furnaces.
DIR. Kellogg, who was not present at
the beginning of the investigation but
who came in while DR.. Cole was testify
ing was the next witness
The testimony Of the preceding wit
nesses was repeated to him in a concise
form by the county attorney. The doc
tor said he he had thrown the body in
to the furnace in order to keep it out of
the way. He also said tn on that day
he had been called to attend a lady, and
on whom he had not waited before.
The furnace incident was necessitated
by her condition, and he wanted it full
ly understood that there was nothing
mimi in the transaction. Asked as
to who the lady was, after consideration,
he said personally he had no hesitation
in giving it, but he did not feel it would
be right for him to do so until he had
consulted her. or her husband, who was
a lawyer. He preferred, he said, to
have the lady testify herself as to the
circumstances His opinion was that
the child had progressed three months
or over. He told also of throwing the
limb into the furnace, saying he did not
know it was unlawful, and added he had
thrown various things into this same
place, the result of surgical operations.
DIR. Billiard examined the body and
gave as his opinion that it had progress
ed seven months. As to whether it was
born alive. he could not say.
DIR. Rockman gave it as his opinion
that the infant had progressed eight
months, and that it had breathed after
being born, an examination of the
lungs satisfying him on that point.