The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-01-23
GREAT FALLS WOMAN DIES Ar
TER OPERATION.
SHE ALSO TOOK SOME PILLS
Druggist Who Sold the Medicine a
Former Yellowstone County
Commissioner.

w. A. Boots, the man whom the
coroner's jury says sold the pills, was
a well-known citizen of Yellowstone
county in the early days of Billings.
He conducted the brewery at Coul-
son from 1883 until that institution
was destroyed by fire under what
many considered to be rather sus-
picious circumstances. He was at
one time county commissioner and
chairman of tnat body.]
Great Falls, Jan. 20.-Mrs. A. E..
Bronson OF Eleventh street south
died last evening at the Deaconess
hospital, and today an inquest which
to call sensational would be putting
it mildly was neld over the remains.
DR.. Leroy Southmayde had refused
to give a death certificate for the
woman. Mrs. Bronson was married
and lived with her husband, having
child II months old. The couple
were married about 19 months ago.
The evidence produced went to show
that death resulted from the use OF
an instrument to produce miscarriage,
superinduced by the use OF certain
pills alleged to have been purchased
from w. A. Boots, the Central avenue
druggist. An autopsy was conducted
by Drs. Gordon, Southmayde and
Strain. The inquest was held by Judge
w. H. Stafford, acting coroner, in his
courtroom, beginning at o'clock this
afternoon.
: DIR. P. R. Gordon was the first wit.
ness called. He testified as follows:
We discovered that death was due
to acute septicemia. There was
puncture of the womb, which had ap-
parently been made by some instru-
ment about week before. The kid
neys were acutely congested. The use
of deleterious drugs had accelerated
DEATH"
Drs. Southmayde, Strain and Brady
testified to substantially the same
facts as DR.. Gordon and agreed with
him as to the cause of Mrs Bronson's
death.
A. E. Bronson, husband of the de-
ceased testified: 81 called DIR. South
maybe on Wednesday. l first learned
after the doctors came that she had
been taking pills. At the hospital
she told me she bought the pills from
Boots, the druggist, to cause mis-
carriage; that she told Boots what
she wanted them for; that Boots told
her they were sure and would not
hurt her. | never knew she had used
an instrument. We were married a
year ago last June. She is about
"a years old. We have one child now,
aged about 10 months"
Sarah Bolsinger said: II am the
mother of Mary Bronson. l went to
the hospital to see her Saturday. She
said: Ma, took some of those fe-
male pills. l asked: Why did you do
it?' She said she had been troubled
with a backache and got these pills
to relieve her. She said she bought
the pills at the drug store across from
the Grand hotel. She told the drug
gist what she wanted them for. The
druggist told her he could give it to
her if she would not tell who gave
them to her. He was an old man
with white hair, and she thought his
name was Boots"
Boots Denies It.
William A. Boots, pharmacist, testi-
fed: Il do not remember selling pills
to Mary Bronson. l do not sell pills
for the purpose named"
did you ever sell any pills to any
0erson for that purpose?"
mo"
Have you had requests for such
pills?"
Many"
do you keep record of sales.
"Only of prescriptions
DO druggists sell pills for such
purposes?"
'1 think not; never knew of any
who did. l have sold female pills all
my life. When they explain what
u