Los Angeles herald., 1910-05-16
WILL INVESTIGATE
SHOPBELL DEATH
Woman Patient Seen to Fall
from Window of the Good
Samaritan Hospital
POLICE ACCUSE OFFICIALS
Witness Says Faces Appeared at
Window Peering Down on
the PrOStrate Victim
POLICE ACCUSE OFFICIALS

The coroner and the ponce depart
ment received information yesterday
that will cause them to make rigid
Investigation into the death of Mrs.
Mamie T.. Shopbell, wife of a real estate
broker living at 206 West Tenth street,
who died under mysterious circum-
stances Saturday in the Good Samari-
tan hospital, where she was patient.
Members of the board of directors of
the hospital will investigate the death
and the mana cement of the institution,
according to a report.
The coroner said yesterday that he
probably would hoid an inquest TO-DAY
despite Or. Pahl's assertion that he is
willing to sign a certificate that Mrs.
Shopbell died of nervous shock.
Information obtained by the police
and coroner yesterday from Mrs. j. e.
Hoxey, 922 Potter Park avenue, whose
residence adjoins the hospital, is
clares she saw a woman, who proved
later to be Mrs. Shopbell, fall from a
window of the fourth story of the hos
pital and strike the ground, and that
she lay there some time before she was
picked UP and carried inside the build
ing.
Mrs. Hoxey believed at the time that
some one had thrown the woman
through the window, as she says she
saw several persons appear at the win
dow Immediately afterward and look
down at the PROSTATE form.
Mrs. Shopber entered the Good Sa-
maritan hospital Thursday for an ope-
ration which it was thought would al
leviate the pain she suffered from a
complication of diseases.
SEEN TO FALL
She was seen to fall from the window
of her bedroom Thursday, and accord
ing to a report made later to the coro-
ner, died from nervous shock. The po-
lice were notified of the incident, and
detectives sent to make an investiga-
ton, but they were repulsed by the
management of the institution, and re-
ported to police headquarters that they
were unable to gather any facts con-
corning Mrs. Shopbells death. Captain
Flammer, chief of detectives, thought
the case needed investigation and noti-
fed Coroner Calvin Hartwell, who prob
ably will hold an inquest today.
The coroner's Office is said to have
experienced considerable difficulty in
ascertaining the facts of several deaths
in the Good Samaritan hospital. Police
records show that a notorious diamond
thief was apprehended while a patient
in the institution under an assumed
name, and that he had given dla-
mond to DR.. Pahls wife in payment
who was in possession of the diamond,
refused to give it to the detectives, and
| the police were forced to obtain a
| search warrant before they recovered
| the Valua BILE stone.
Instances are cited by the police
where inquiries as to the condition OF
patients, who, as was learned later,
were dead, were met with replies that
they we're doing very nicely" AS a
| DayESpaOprS rpnOrted certain
persons were improving, and kilograms
were sent to their relatives to the same
effect, when in fact the patients were
| dead.
Another instance is cited when an in
! sane patient escaped from his captors
| in the hospital and climbed to the roof
of the building in the cold air, scantlly
| clad. and of the refusal of the nurses
/ and attendants to bring him down. Al
| ter hours of exposure the patient was
| brought down from his perilous posi-
| tion nv nolicemen summoned by people
| living near the hospital.
| Gregory Perkins, jr., secretary or the
! board of directors of the hospital, sald
Yesterday that if the investigation,
either by the police, the coroner or RI ms rs
associates, showed that either DR.. Pam
or his wife had suppressed the news
OF the death of any patient during the
| time of their management both the
| Dhysician and his wife would be dis
| missed from the service of the Good
! Samaritan hospital.
DECLINE ALL INFORMATION
The hospital of the Good Samaritan
is an Episcopalian institution, and
Bishop Johnson is president of the
hoard of directors. Last night, in COM
menting upon the Shopbell case, the
bishop said that the hospitals only
reason for secrecy in this, or any othel
case. is to protect the patient or the
patient's family. He added that the
| hospital authorities are frequently an
moved by inquiries which are regarded
as impertinent and which come IRON
persons having no right to the informa-
ton they request He further said tha'
he would call Mrs. PAIL, who IS the
executive head of the hospital, on the
! telephone and request her 10 make
statement for publication.
This statement, when it came, how
ever. was merely a repetition of Whal
the bishop had already said. Mrs Pan
nassed the buck right back. She salc
| the bishop had been apprised OF all tht
facts in the case, and that those same
facts, in their entirety, had been IN lh'
nossession of Coroner HartWeI IRON
The first. At the same time that sh'
declined to make a statement for publ
cation she was busy preparing writ
ten statement of the case for submis
sion to the board of directors
Coroner HartWell, to whom Mrs Pan
said she had given full information
deniedSIast night that he knew any
Thing about the case other than the re
ports published in the newspapers, OF
mat he had talked with Mrs. Pah
at all. He said that he should begir
an investigation this morning anC
might hold an inquest.
The coroner also said that ne mac
,ean informed the hospital authorities
bad qiven no information to Deputy
Fred Williams, who had the case II
hand prior to his departure from the