Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-08-21
Jury Renders Verdict in Case of Miss
Elliott.
;ATH ASCRIBED TO ABORTION
Name of Guilty Party Not Disclosed
at Inquest.
THE EVIDENCE SUBMITTED

/
case Of Louise Grace Elliott, the young
woman who died Thursday morning at the
house of Mrs. Mary H. Snyder, No. 1922
| 18th street northwest, as published In The
| Star at the time. Several witnesses were
| examined, including the physicians who
were called in after an operation had been
performed upon the young woman by a
| party unknown. Members of the jury were
| told that the doctors known in the case
| had only done what any others would have
| done under similar circumstances
The jury returned verdict that the
| woman's death was the result of a GRIM
inal operation performed by some person
| unknown.
Testimony of an Acquaintance.
| Mrs. Mary H. Snyder, No. 1922 18th street
| northwest, testified that she had known
/ Miss Elliott for only a short time. A week
| ago last Friday Miss Elliott came to her
| house and engaged two rooms. She moved
| into them Monday. That day, she said,
Miss Elliott informed her that she was go
ing to have a slight operation performed
| for an abscess. The operation, she said
| was going to be performed by DR.. Lewis,
| an elderly man, who lived on Capitol Hill.
A month ago, she told Mrs. Snyder an
| unsuccessful operation was performed. She
| also told witness that the operation last
| week was to be performed at II O'Clock
Wednesday morning. The young woman
| asked witness to get a reliable cOlored Wo-
| man to wait on her
| Witness was asked about the movements
| of doctors about the house, and she said
| she saw two of them go out of the house
One of them carried a large bundle and
| the other had a valise. Wednesday night
| between and 10 o'clock she inquired Of
| one of the doctors how Miss Elliott was
| and he said she was doing nicely. He
told her that he wanted nobody to come to
| IN
the house at 2 am. All night long, she
| said, there was SO much tramping in Miss
| Elliotts room that she (witness) could not
| sleep. She knew the woman was dead be-
tween and O'Clock Thursday morning:
| the colored girl gave her the information.
Tuesday night, said the witness, the young
woman appeared to be perfectly well.
| Story ~ COlOred Domestic.
| Eliza Towles, colored, a domestic who
was employed by Miss Elliott two days be-
| fore the latter's death, testified that she
| was employed to wait on Miss Elliott for
| two weeks She did not the operation
performed Witness went into the room
| late Wednesday afternoon. Miss Elliott
| told her that the doctor would be there at
| IL o'clock Wednesday morning. Witness
| was sent for Wednesday afternoon and
| given some clothing to take down stairs.
The colored woman then went to tell
| of her several visits to the room and said
she was with Miss Elliott when she died.
| Just before she died, the patient asked for
water. and told witness to fan her. One
| doctor was there when death occurred She
! did not know how the doctor happened to
| call; he was in the room that morning
| when she got there. Witness heard no con-
versattOn between the doctor and Miss FL
| liott at any time.
| Begged Witness to Remain.
| Mrs. Nellie Osborne, 1906 10th street
northwest, testified that she had known
IIIv no 10Th ho-
| fore the operation was performed the young
| woman was at her front door.
She told witness that she was to be op-
| Grated upon the next morning for an alb
scess, dasked witness to see her the
| next afternoon. Witness called at the house
and the woman begged her to remain with
her. Witness said she remained and did
| what she could for her DR.. Lewis, she
| said, left medicine for her, and also left
| word that he should be sent for If the pa
| tient became worse. She did become worse,
and witness said she sent for him. DR..
Shaw, she said. also came. They said she
was bleeding to death, and one of them
went to the Emergency Hospital Thurs
| day morning DIR. Lewis, she said, told of
the real nature of the operation, and said
he was only finishing some other persons
work The patient was conscious up to the
time Of her death Witness asked IL she
must send for the patients mother, and.
| Miss Elliott told her that she should not
send.
said, I'll either be better or worse.
Undertaken on the Stand.
William H. Taylor. undertaken, employed
at the establishment Of John r. Wright
testified that he was sent for about
o'clock Thursday morning. He took the
blank death certificate to DR.. Lewis and he
signed It, Witness told of his movements
during the day, and of the subsequent re-
moval Of the body. Witness said he heard
Dr. Lewis say he was sorry he had been
called to the case. The body he said, was
removed to his undertaking establishment
Witness said he thought the duration of
the woman's last illness was given in the
certificate as five days. DR.. Lewis did not
tell witness how long he had known the
woman. The body, he said was shipped
| to Bryans Pond Me.
The Attending Physician.
DR.. Duff G. Lewis, 1871 14th street, testi-
fled that he attended Miss Elliott during
her last Illness. She called at his office
Monday afternoon. told of her condition
and gave witness to understand that some
thing had been done to cause a hemor-
| rhage. Because of her condition witness
| suggested that an operation should be per-
formed as early as possible. She said she
could not be ready the next day. Believing
her condition was more serious than she
imagined 1t was, he called at the house
Tuesday, but she was not at home.
She called on him that afternoon and
| ton performed Wednesday morning at II
o'clock. Witness asked DIR. Shaw to assist
him. He told Of the operation and said
that her condition was not very favorable
at noon. Witness described the changes in