The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-09-24
BOY DIED WITHOUT
MEDICAL ATTENTION
His Father, James r. Wood, Is q Firm
Believer in Faith Cure.
DlPhThERIA THE CAUSE Of DEATH
Coroner LOngstreet Asked to Grant q
Burial Permit but Refused to Do So
Until He Made an Investigation.
Boys Throat in q Terrible COndi.
tiOn. House Was Not Placarded.

There came to the notice of Coroner
Longstreet yesterday morning case
where l2-year-old boy was the vic
TIM or faith healers. District Attor-
ney John X. Jones. after hearing the
iactS IN the case, stamped 1t as a piece
Of criminal negligence. and after the
coroners jury finds it's verdict, Mr..
Jones may take steps to punish those
responsible for the boys death.
On Tuesday night Undertaken D. d.
Jones. of the North End, was called
to the house of James r. Wood, PIG
Hoilister avenue. to prepare for burial
the body of his 12-year-old son, James
who, few hours before that, had died
The undertaken had heard from the
neighbors that there was something
wrong. and he questioned Mr.. Wood
whether the boy had u doctor to at
tend him. Mr.. Wood scorned the idea
of a doctor.
The undertaken told him to get E
death certificate from the coroner be-
fore he would have anything further
to do with the case Mr.. Wood wanted
to know what was the matter with
getting a permit from the board OF
health, that permits had been obtained
before In similar cases. The under
taker would not act unless the cor
oner issued death certificate and he
plainly told that to Mr.. Wood along
with other things, namely. that II Mr..
Wood did not notify the coroner by
10 O'Clock the next day, which was
yesterday, he would perform that func
ton.
CORONER REFUSED THE CERTIF-
ICATE.
Whe Coroner Longstreet was asked
to issue the certificate. he said he want
ed to know something about the case
first, and after learning the facts. he
refused, and he also spoke to MI Wood
in a way that the gentleman was not
at loss to understand that his course
was condemned in allowing his son to
die without any help but that of faith
healer.
The coroner went to the house in the
afternoon and made u post mortem ex-
animation. What he found made mat
ters ten times worse. There was an
other child sick before the one that
died was stricken. From this one,
quite likely, the second one took the
scourage.
When he died his flesh changed to a
dark shade and it looked as if he had
been infected with some powerful
poison. The postmortem examination
showed that the throat membrane was
in such n state of modification that
the passageway from his larynx to his
nose was a mass of corruption.
1t was what is commonly known as
black diphtheria. The boy might have
died in any case. even with the best of
medical treatment, and his pains
would no doubt, be very intense, but
they We're agonizlng in the extreme in
the condition he was allowed to exist,
without any remedy but the passage
of hands now and again over his body,
by two women uttering their incanta-
tions.
DOCTORED BY FAITH HEALERS.
The women are Mrs. Charles May
nard, of River street, Green Ridge,
and Mrs David Mckee. of $50 Ad-
ans avenue, the building known as the
Church of Christ where the Christian
Scientists conduct their services. At
first Mrs. Maynard was the healer, and
finding her powers of no avail, Mrs. Nc
Kee was called in. Neither was able
to do anything for the boy. and his
case became gossiped around SO much