Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1902-12-04
DIR. THOMPSON'S n
CASE IN COURT.

OF thls city, against the Local Board
OF Health of Downe Township. to re-
cover the sum of $4,000 for services rem
dered to a smallpox patient in that
township, came up for trial Tuesday
before Judge James H. Nixon, sitting
in the Circuit Court
A jury of twelve men was empan-
eled by Sheriff Diament out of the
thirty returned from the October
panel After the jury was sworn the
Court announced that another case
that OF George W. Leach against
Thomas Johnson, No Is on the Su-
preme list-would come up for trial
next Thursday and that the panel
should return on that day without
further notice..
Before proceeding with the Thomp-
son case. Judge Pancoast, of Camden,
who is assisting Lawyer Robert S.
Schiller on the side of the Board of
Health, called conference of the
members of the Board in the room of
law library. This lasted for about 10
minutes when they re-entered the
Court room and the case proceeded.
Lawyer Bacon, counsel for Mr..
thompson, then outlined the case.
He said that the action was brought
by DIR. Thompson against the local
Board of Health of Downe Township
and against the five individuals COM
prls1ng the Board of Health at that
time. Mr.. Bacon said that about
year ago young man named Carl S.
Turner came to his home in Dividing
Greek sick. That his father. Leaning
Turner sent for DR.. Robinson. of
Newport, at the time, at the boys re-
quest. The doctor called and found
that the young man was very seri-
ously i'll, but the disease had not de-
veloped sufficiently to discover what
1T was. On the next day the doctor
discovered that the disease was small
pox in most malignant form. The
Board of Health was notified and
meeting held at Dividing Greek at
which meeting large number of citi-
zens were present and popular de-
mand made for quarantine, which the
Board proceeded to do.
Later written agreement was made
and signed by majority of the Board
authorizing DR. Thompson to take
charge of the case, the fee being fixed
at $4,000 DR.. Thompson took charge
at once and paid eighty-one visits to
the young man, going by trolley to
Cedarville and driving the remainder
of the distance. Mr.. Bacon further
stated that DR.. Thompson had aban-
doned all other practice during the
fourteen weeks sickness of the young
man. That further he had success
fully treated the patient and brought
him to full recovery The Board of
Health afterward refused to pay the
$4,000 and the case was now in Court
IFrC,n Daily Pioneer Wednesday Dec
The first witness called in the case
of DR.. J. R. @. Thompson against the
Local Board of Health of Downe
Township yesterday was Carl S. Tur-
ner, the young man who was afflicted
with the dread Diseases
whom DR.. Thompson was called to at
tend
He testified that he had been work
ing at Norristown, Pa, and that he
came to his home at Dividing Greek,
this county, on Thanksgiving day, a
year ago, and that he was very sick,
which sickness developed into small
pox. He testified that Dr. Thompson
attended him during his illness and
that Ernest Mindach nursed him. A
very large photograph of the witness,
taken while in the worst stage of the
disease, was shown to him, but as the
eyes were completely swollen shut,
and features otherwise very much dis
figured the witness could not identify
the photograph as that of himself,
but he stated that picture had been
taken of him and he had every reason
to believe the photo was one of him.
self. The picture was subsequently
identified by other witnesses and ad-
mitted into evidence
Leaning Turner, the father of the
patient, was next called and oorrobor-
ated his sons testimony, adding that
he had offered to pay trained nurse
to take care of his son, but that he
was not financially able to employ
medical attention. The Board of
Health accepted witnesses PROPOSE
tion to pay nurse and for fourteen
weeks he paid out the sum of $25 per
week.
Ernest Mindaoh was next called.
He testified that he was trained
nurse of 81 years experience. He was
employed by the Board of Health of