The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-06-01
Trial of DR.. Larque
Of Athol Charged
With Manslaughter.
THE GOVERNMENTS GROUND.
Wants to Prove That Ne
elect Was Apparent
Expert Testimony Taken.

The trial of Garrett B. B. Larque
of Athol, charged with manslaughter
was begun in the Superior court yes
terday morning before Judge John
Hopkins. The case occupied the whole
of the day and will be heard today.
The government occupied all the time
in the examining of its witnesses, Dis
trict Attorney lockwood Hoar con-
Quoting the case. Hon. John r. Thay-
er, of the firm of Theyer & Rugg, APP
peared for the defendant.
Larque is charged with having
caused the death of Mrs. Julia E. Blan-
| chard, of Pindale Athol, August 6. 1898,
by neglecting her at the time of child
| birth. The Indictment is the first of its
kind in the records of the court in this
county Doctors have, of course, been
indicted for causing death by mistakes
in treatment but this is the first case
brought for neglect of treatment. Inc
case has attracted a widespread Inter
est among the professional craft Gf
| physicians and there was a large dele
cation present at the hearing. 1t mas a
| local color from the fact that Dr. Lar
| que was at one time practitioner IN
| Worcester. Larque was indicted by the
grand jury last October, but the case
| was continued from term to term uhtl
the present sitting.
When the case was called yesterday
morning Congressman Thayer argued
motion to have the Indictment quasheI
upon the grounds that it was not sui
| ficiently definite, that there was no
| thing to show that the defendant haI
proper time to do what he was charged
! with having neglected to do. Dlstrlel
Attorney Hoar said in reply that 1t was
not necessary for an Indictment to con
| tain all the details of the crime Win
| which he was charged.
A physician was held responsible Tor
| acts of omission as well as commission
! The court overruled the motion and the
| defendant pleaded not guilty to the in
| diCtment
The outline of the story of the case
was told by Mr. Hoar in his opening to
| the Jury He told of the happy home
of the Blanchards, in which three chill
| dren had came, of the illness which
| came upon the wife and mother, for
which she was treated by the defend
ant. and was told by him that it was
caused by her last child birth. He said
! that the defendant was called IN to
! treat her, and after having treated her
| for months, cruelty neglected her at the
time when the child was about to be
| born Such neglect, he said in conclu-
| sion, was manslaughter and with
| which the defendant was charged.
| The governments case was seen
! from the very outset on the conclusion
of the testimony of the husband of the
| dead woman 1t wanted TO prove that
| neglect was apparent, and expert testI-
| h, = VIA
| But it was not till toward the end OF
| the examination of the governments
| witnesses that counsel for the defend
ant showed his hand. He said he pro-
posed to show that his client was not
| responsible for the death of the wom-
an, but that the doctors who handled
| the case later were owing to having
administered chloroform to her just be-
| fore delivering her of the child.
| The first witness called by the gov
| eminent was Arthur F. Blanchard,
| husband of the dead woman. He said
| his wife had been, up to the time of her
| last illness, strong and healthy. He
| testified to having consulted the de-
| PENDANT about year previous to the
death of his wife, and had employed
| him since then as a family physician.
! He told of his daughter coming to the
| depot, where he worked, and telling
| him that his wife was very i'll, and of
| his having called the doctor by tele-
| phone, but did not find him in. He went
| home, and then to the doctors office,
| and was told the doctor was not in. He
| left the office in search of the doctor
| and returned again and heard the office
| boy say to some one: That brakeman
| has been here again and he wants
| you" HE did not see the person to
| whom the remark was addressed, but
| he heard a voice reply, which sounded
| like the defendants voice, saying: Tell
him he must get some other doctor"
| 1.-The doctor then came in and after
| having told the physician of his wife's
| condition, the doctor told him he would
| have to get another doctor as he was
| too busy. He said he got another doe
| tor, who went to see his wife and a sec
| ond doctor, was called in consultation
| and the child was born. The mother
| died the same day. He testified to the
| hemmorhage from which his wife was
| suffering and which the other doctors
| also saw.
| DR.. w. L. Edgar, of Athol, who was
| one of the physicians called in at the
| last moment, testified to having found
| the woman in a very sick condition
| She was very pale and her pulse was
| intermittant and that the hemmOrhage
| was severe.
| On cross examination by Mr. Thayer.
| he said, that the administration cf
chloroform was the thing to do in such
a case owing to the pain and the shock
| to the system in the delivery of the
| child. Mr.. Thayer asked questions as
| to the giving of ether and the effect of
| both, that and chloroform on the
| heart the witness saying that the lat
ter was more powerful in this case than
| ether.
| DR.. c. H. Forbes, the other physician
| called in. next took the witness stand
| and corroboTated the testimony given
| by DIR. Edgar. Dr. W. P. Bowers of
! Clinton, was the third witness and
| his testimony in the case was of the ex-
| pert order. DR.. c. H. Clarke of Mil
| ford. and DR.. Comey, of Worcester, tes-
| tilted. DR.. Delehanty viii be called
| this morning.
Patrick Corliss and John F. Kelley
were called and pleaded guilt 10
| breaking and entering, on which they
| we're indicted, and upon their plea were
! placed on probation. Sullivan & O'Con-
.ell appeared for the defendants.
GRIPS RAVAGES DOOMED.
| So much misery and so many deaths
have been caused by the Grip, that every
one should know what a wonderful remedy
| for this malady is found in DR.. Kings
| New Discovery. That distressing stubborn
| cough, that inflames your throat robs
YOU of sleep. weakens your system and