The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-09-29
THE FATHER AND
THE WOMEN BLAMED
Jury Finds That Criminal Negligence
Attended James Woods Death.
WAS THE VICTIM OF FAITH HEALERs
Inauest Held in Arbitration Room
aud Was Attended by Nearly Every
Christian Scientist in the City.
Testimony Given by the Different
Christian Scientists
Define Their Belief with Regard to
Disease.

Coroner Longstreet conducted an in
vestigation last night in the arbitra-
tion room of the court house in the case
of James Wood. the l2-year-old boy
who was allowed to die without medi-
cal treatment. The boys father ard
Mrs. Maynard and Mrs. Mckee, the
two women who performed Christian
Scientist faith cure, We're charged by
the jury with criminal negligence. Dis
trict Attorney John X. Jones was wait
ing for the result of the cOroner's in
vestigation. and it is quite probable
that he will have warrants sworn out
today.
The arbitration room was crowded
| with Christian Scientists. Every seat
in the room was taken, and the janitor
Captain Turner. was secured to lind
chairs from the other offices to accom-
modate all Besides the Christian Sci
entists there was not a few attracted
merely out of curiosity.
AS soon as Coroner Longstreet an
nounced that the hearing was about to
begin, eX-Lieutenant Governor l.. A.
Watres arose and asked to be permitted
to make statement. He said it ap-
peared in the newspapers that some
persons are guilty of criminal negli-
| gence in the case then being inveSti-
gated He and Attorney George S.
Horn had been retained, he said, to rep
resent the persons accused.
Coroner Longstreet informed him
| that it has always been his policy to
permit legal representatives to exam
inc witnesses at inquests. but II so 1t
was an act of grace and was not COM
pulsory. The coroner's court is not one
of inquiry. not q place where defend
ants are put on trial. Colonel Watres
| answered that the accused persons
were just as desirous as any one could
| possibly be of having the matter fully
| investigated. Either they are or they
are not guilty, and they desired as
much as the coroner to bring every
matter out that had a bearing upon the
| case.
MIR. WOOD SWORN.
| James r. Wood, father of the dead
hoy, was called and put under oath by
the coroner. He Is Il miner. he said.
not cutting coal, but doing carpenter
work i'm the mines. The boy that died
was sick week, and his sickness at
first consisted of dizzy pains in the
| head. He had no medical treatment,
but was given Christian Scientist
! treatment.
| This as Mr. Wood understands II con-
| sists of prayer, that God will answer
supplications sent up for the relief of
| the suffering person, and that 4 tam
gible physical cure will be effected. The
boy was treated every day for a week
| by Mrs. Maynard. of Green Ridge, and
on the day he died he was treated
by Mrs. David Mckee, Of Adams ave-
nue.. He gave them no pay for their
services.
He was asked by one of the jurymen
whether any more members of the fam
| lily were sick, and responded affirma-
| lively. There was another child sick
a week and it was given similar treat
ment and recovered. Questioned by
Mr.. Horn he answered that the boy
that died was cared for by its mother
during the illness and it's comfort was
attended to in the most careful man.
ner. He didn't call in a doctor for
medical treatment because he has no
faith in doctors. The reason Is this. he
! had three children die and his wife
was sick seven years, although he had
| the most skillful medical treatment.
Under Christian scientist faith cure his
wife got well. The other child that
was sick the week before the one that
died was treated by the faith curists
and got well. and had symptoms SIM
| liar to the one that died. He said he
| followed the dictates of his best judg-
ment in employing Christian scientist
| cures.
ONE OF THE HEALERS.
Mrs. Charles Maynard, one of the
women who was called in to treat the
boy, was next sworn. She saw him first
on Sept. II. He then complained of
drowsiness and his head was not feel
ing just right. Her idea of his sick
ness was that he had symptoms SIM
| liar to those of the other child. The
boy appeared to be suffering, but she
did not know what was the matter
with him. She treated him once every
day for a week.
r. Coroner LongStreet asked her If the
symptoms of the boys illness were like
scarlet fever. diphtheria, Group or what
She said when she saw him last he
was sleeping quietly, she never stud
| led medicine. knows nothing of the laws
of disease, and knows nothing of sick
ness except what she learned from per-
sonal experience. She received no pay
for this treatment, and gave her SER
vices gratuitously, her pay being the
consciousness of having done good to
| some creature.
She explained that her method of
treatment is to try and make the pa
tient realize that God is the only power
and the prayers are invoked to bring
| about harmony between God and the
sufferer. Her idea Of harmony in that
sense of the word Is good health. She
prepared herself for faith curing by
reading Science and Health" by Mary
Baker Eddy, and she had class irstruc.
ton from Judge Hanna, now a reader
in the mother church.
The first case she treated got wei
| To-, hn cl- .I
her treatment on the boy that died had
any outward effect and she said II
made him brighter and he manifested
| greater activity. She was asked If she
observed any swelling of the face. neck
nose or throat. any discoloration of tbs
face, or noticed whether the child was
troubled with shortness of breath. Al
she could state was that Christian
scientists do not recognize any dag
nosis such as doctors do.
DEGREE OF BENEFIT.
Mr.. Horn got her to relate how she
came to become a Christian Scientist
1t was six years ago, and the cause
was that she had suffered for a long
| time from sickness and could not get
cured. Friends recommended the sci
ence to her and she gaveit a trial. found
it worthy and has since believed in it.
A patient Is benefited by Christian
Science in the degree that he is able
| to realize the power of God.
Mrs. Maynard treated a dozen OF
more cases altogether. This was the
first fatal case. One of the Jurors
asked her If the state grants her the
right to practice this method of heal
ing, and she answered that 1t granted
her the right to worship God accord
ing to the dictates of her conscience
and that's all she was doing. She is
not practicing medicine and prescribes
no remedies.
Mrs. David Mckee. the other wo-