Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1899-06-30
THE BELYEA CASE.
The Defendant Formerly Practiced in
Mandan and Was a State
Senator.

convicted at Devils Lake for performing
a criminal operation not necessary to
save the life of the patient, is well known
in Bismarck, having practiced in Mandan
from 1883 to 1885, and attended the state
legislature as senator from the Minot
district in its first session. He took the
stand in his own defense, testlfying as
follows:
The first time l ever saw or heard of
Albert Sampson and Julia Solberg, was
at my office Sunday evening, January l,
1899, where I had been called by a tele-
phone message from my brother, j. H.
Belyea. At that time I made an exami.
nation and found the girl to be in a
deplorable condition. 1 advised her to
go to the hospital, but she refused on
account of her limited means. AS she
must go somewhere, I told her that she
might come to my house and I would do
all I could for her. This she agreed to
do and she, Sampson and 1 went over.
When we got there l asked for some
guarantee, and Sampson went over to
Julia and got $50 and laid it on the table.
After that Sampson went away and Mrs.
Belyea helped Miss Solberg upstairs and
to bed. She was in great pain and
vomited profusely, so I gave her a hypo-
dermic injection of morphine, that re-
lieved the pain and she passed a quiet
night.
Monday I gave her three more hypo-
dermic injections of morphine and she
rested easily, although there was some
hemorrhage and symptoms of approach
ing labor. Tuesday and Wednesday her
condition was unchanged, with the en-
ception of a fever and a slight increase
of pulse. Wednesday night about u
o'clock I was called by my wife, who
said the girl was having fits. I dressed
hastily and rushed into her room and
found her in ar eclamptic fit. To elimi-
nate the poisonous matters that were
causing the commissions, we applied hot
cloths and gave her a few whifs of chloro-
form to diminish the severity of the con-
vulsions. After the attack had some
what abated, we gave her some liquor
and a hypodermic injection of strychnia.
She was very weak after that. Next day
she vas again attacked by fits, and prac-
tically the same treatment was given. I
then deemed it best to call my brother
into consultation, and he came over. We
decided that an operation was necessary.
I wanted to perform the operation imme-
diately, but my brother thought we
ought to wait awhile.
We did so and when after some hours
there were symptoms that another
eclamptic fit was coming we decided to
operate at once. We tried but failed,
and the wounds found at the postmor-
tenn were probably inflicted at that time.
We made the girl as comfortable as pos
sible, and although she passed a quiet
night she was very low. Friday after
noon she had another eclamptic convul-
sion and at 7o'clock that night l realized
the fact that she was dying. Being
alone, l called DR.. Jones who remained
with her until she died, about half an
hour later. then went to the telegraph
office and wired Sampson as follows:
"Julia died at my house this evening
while sewing. Notify her folks what to
do. Keep up your courage" I worded
the telegram in this way so that Samp-
sol might have something to show to
her friends. I then notified Mr.. Nimmo
and he came to my house.
I suggested that the body be laid out
in my parlor but he thought it would be
more convenient to take it to his under
taking rooms, which he did. The next
morning Sampson and Thorvald Solberg
came to my house and asked where Julia
was and I told them she was at Nimmo's
and offered to show them the way, but
they said it was unnecessary. They
went away and awhile later Sampson
came back and asked for her clothes and
money. I gave him her clothes and all
of her money but $40: s4Oof the $50 that
she gave me, and 800 that she had in her
v~alise. Sampson was whining about
the money she had paid me and seemed
to be afraid of what her brothers would
think if it was not returned, so I gave it
to him. Sampson said, this is a bad
business. l said, yes, but I have moth
ing to reproach myself with: I did my
whole duty as a physician. But if ex-
animation is made, I must protect my
self. l did not at any time make use of
the expression NUNS the word, )" or say
that they could examine her if they
wanted to.
Demands an Apology.
New YORK, June GA dispatch to
The Herald from Pekin says: G.. A.
Fliche, interpreter of the French lega.
ton here, has been struck by a China.
man and ia sn ffarino from br,,ieoe The