Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-03-01
TIE D0CIOR'S DktkH;S,ri
Miss Averill's Breach of Prom.
Use Suit Takes a New Turn.


He Says lie Was Never Engaged to the
Nurse. but Admits Having Used Endear-
Ing Terms in His Letters-NIiss Averin
Makes IA Serious Charge and the Defend
ant Returns the Compliment.
NEWARK, March 1.-Some of the recent
developments in the suit for damages for
SO, 900 for breach of promise of marriage
of Isabel Averill of New York, against
DR.. George B. Lightfoot of Arlington, N.
j., the declaration in which have been
filed at Trenton, are of a rather start
ling nature. Dr. Lightfoot's friends
admit that while the young man was
house physician at the Flower Surgical
hospital, New York, he was thrown much
in the company of Miss Averell, who was
employed in the institution in the capa-
ity of trained nurse, but they strenuously
deny that AN engagement or promi Sc ot
marriage every existed between the
couple.
Miss Averell says that DR. Lightfoot
proposed marriage on June z, 1890, and
that the offer was accepted.
She claims to have in her possession n
number of letters which afford conclusive
evidence in support OF her suit.
These letters, she says, are replete
with endearing terms, and are written
i'll such a strain to leave no doubt of
the relations existing between her and
the defendant.
The doctor is quoted as saying that last
spring Miss Averell went to Montclair to
nurse the children of ]. L. Hartley, n
sculptor.
The children were i'll will scarlet fever,
and the nurse suggested that DR.. Light
foot be called to treat them. Her sug-
gestion was followed, and the young
physician soon relieved the children
from immediate danger and placed them
on the road to recovery.
After several visits, his friends say, he
became uneasy, as the patients did not
recover as fast as the treatment seemed
to demand.
Entering the sick room one day, he
saw on the table bottle containing a
liquid which he had not prescribed, and
which, instead of helping the little pa
tients, only seemed to retard their con-
valescence.
He at once suspected that the trained
nurse had been administering the stuff
purposely to prevent the children from
getting better, in order that she might
be kept in attendance. He commune
Gated his suspicious to the family and the
| nurse was discharged. The friendship
| that had existed between him and the
| nurse was broken off.
Then the young woman instituted
the breach of promise proceedings. These
proceedings were discontinued last fall at
which time the physician declares he re-
ceived n complete release from all obliga-
tions, real or fancied, which Miss Averill
| held. He admits having used endearing
terms in his letters to her, but says that
| the relations between physician and nurse
| are of SO peculiar u nature that such
terms could be used without any impro-
priety.
Miss Averill some time ago, when the
| suit was first begun, charged the physi-
| clan with most vicious personal wrong
| and exhibited small phial of medicine
which she claims to have received from
| him, as evidence This set the physician
| off on q new scent.
At the drug store where his prescrip-
tions for the Hartley children had been
| prepared he found among his prescrip-
tions four others, which, while they bore
his name, We're plainly forged by the
nurse, it is claimed, as they were all in
her handwriting, with no attempt at
initiating his style of chirography.
One of these prescriptions was for the
mixture which Miss Averell offered to
| substantiate her charge
Two others called for q compound SINH
lar to that which he had found in the