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 police depart
ment received information yesterday
that win cause them to make a rigid
Investigation into the death of Mrs.
Mamie E. 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 a patient.
Members of the board of directors of
the hospital will investigate the death
and the management of the institution,
according to report.
The coroner said yesterday that he
probably would hold an inquest today
despite Or. Pahls 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, g22 Potter Park avenue, whose
residence adjoins the hospital, is
deemed important. Mrs Hoxey de-
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. Shopbell entered the Good Sa-
maritan hospital Thursday for an ope-
ration which it was thought would al
leviate the pain she suffered from
complication of diseases.
SEEN TO FALL
4.
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-
cerning Mrs. ShopbelFs 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 Coroners 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.. Pahl's wife in payment
for the physicians services. Mrs. Pahi'
who was in possession of the diamond,
refused to give it to the detectives, and
the police were forced to obtain
search warrant before they recovered
the valuable 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 were doing very nicely" AS a
result, newspapers reported 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 patlent was
brought down from his perilous posi-
tion by policemen summoned by people
living near the hospital.
Gregory Perkins, jr., secretary of the
board of directors of the hospital, salo
yesterday that if the investigation
either by the police, the coroner or his
associates, showed that either Dr. Fan
or his wife had suppressed the news
of the death of any patient during the
time of their management, both the
physician 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, anc
Bishop johnson is president Of the
= a. CT nj
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
noyed by inquiries which are regarded
as impertinent and which come IRON
persons having no right to the lntornla'
tion thev request. He further said tha'
he would call Mrs. PAIL, who is the
executive head of the hospital on the
telephone and request her to make
statement for publication.
This statement, when 1t came, now
ever. was merely a repetition of Wha'
the bishop had already said. Mrs. Pan
passed the buck right back, she salo
the bishop had been apprlsed OF all th'
facts in the case, and that those same
facts. in their entirety, had been in the
nossession of Coroner HartWell from
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 submls
sion to the board of directors.
Coroner Hartwell, to whom Mrs Pan
eaid she had given full information
deniedSIast night that he knew any
Thing about the case other than the re
ports published in the newspapers, o.
that he had talked with Mrs. Pah
at all. He said that he should beglI
an investigation this morning anC
might hold an inquest.
The coroner also said that he hac
been informed the hospital authorities
bod Given no information to Deputy
Fred williams, who had the case II
hand prior to his departure from the
city yesterday morning to attend the