The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1905-12-05
DOCTORS FATE
WITH THE JURY

criminal operation which resulted In
the death Of Susan Geary, the victim
of the dress suit case mystery, is now
in the hands Of the jury. At 1886
o'clock this afternoon, after the final
address of the jury by the attorneys
for the defense and the prosecution.
Judge Stevens delivered his charge to
the jury, and at 4:45 o'clock the twelve
men filed out of the court room to
consider the case.
Hurting emphatic denials to every
accusation made against him by the
witnesses for the prosecution, DR.. Nc
Leod declared ON the witness stand
this afternoon that his only connection
with the tragedy that closed with the
death of Miss Geary was the operation
for laparotomy, the final and desper-
ate chance to save the life Of the un-
fortunate girl.
"If you had not performed that oper-
alton, would the girl have lived?"
| asked his counsel.
"she could not possibly have lived"
replied the doctor; there's no ques-
ton about that"
Cross-exslnined by District Attor-
ney Sughrue, DIR. Mcleod declared that
he did not know that the girl he had
| treated was the victim of the suit case
tragedy, when the torso was found
| floating I'm the water at Winthrop. The
| defense rested after the Doctors tes-
| timony, and James II. Vahey summed
up for the defense, followed by Dis
ttrict Attorney Sughrue, for the pros
ecution.
The maximum penalty for the crime
with which DIR. Mcleod is accused, is
seven years imprisonment.
In the early part Of his testimony
DR.. Mcleod emphatically denied that
he cut up the body Of the girl before
| 10 was placed in the suit cases and
tossed II into Boston harbor.
Did you dismember the girls
body?" Lawyer Vahey asked.
NO." replied DR.. Mcleod, in firm
voice
In a manner that was free from ex-
citement, the prisoner asserted that all
he had to do with the case was the
| performance Of the operation Of lapa-
rotomy, which was the only hope Of
saving the girls life. He declared that
he had never been at the Bishop Of
flee, on fremont street, where It was
testified he was seen receiving money
| once a week, and that he had never
been connected in any way with that
place.
| In his summing up before the jury,
Attorney Vahey declared that the tes-
| timony given by DR.. Mcleod was cor
rect, that the statements of Hunt,
Crawford and DR.. Petite were made to
protect themselves In the effort to
throw the blame for the crime on DR..
Mel cod. He said:
! "Out Of the lips of this miserable
crew you hear stories connecting Mr.,
Leod with this affair. want you to
put yourselves In the position of these
men, on the 18Th of September. What
did DR.. Mcleod have to lose II on that
date he had been informed of this
girls death and had communicated II
to the police? Do you think you would
have had DR.. Mcleod as the defend
ant, or would you have had Hunt and
Crawford add another to their miser-
able list. So when you are considering
this matter you must have in mind
the point of view these witnesses had
Hunt, the man in Philadelphia who
had said that he did not propose 70
get caught, that he had a physician
and an undertaken, and when these
failed he had plenty Of suit cases, and
II was short walk to the river That
is one Of the sort Of men that this
defendant is confronted with, who seel,
to save themselves by putting him in
jail"
Mr.. Vahey closed with an appeal tina,
the jury find DR.. Mcleod not guilty
District Attorney Sughrue. In tremb-
ling voice and with deep emotion, re-
viewed the case and said that there
was but two persons who could pos
sibly have committed the crime-one
was DR.. Mcleod and the other was
Hunt
rs DR.. Mcleod" he asked, such q
perfect man that his testimony is tC
be believed above all the othersT
. Mr.. Sughrue called particular atten'
ton to the fact that the testimony OF
Hunt, Crawford aud DIR. Petite agreed
in every particular, Notwithstanding
that they had no opportunity to com.
municate with one another since their
arrest. He also called attention TO the
testimony given by Miss Coulter that
DIR. Mcleod had called at the Win.
throp street house several times before
the date Of the operation, contrasting
II with the evidence Of DIR. Mcleod
himself that he was never In the house
previous to September IA. The charge
to the jury by Judge Stevens followed
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