New-York tribune., 1911-09-01
TESTIMONY CLOSED IN
DOTY INVESTIGATION
Lawyer for Complainants Pro-
tests Against Non-Appear-
anCe of Health Officer.
DISPUTE OVER "SH0RTAGE"
Witness Says 81, ,155 Was Not
Accounted for, and Counsel for
Defence Produces Voucher
for That Amount.

The investigation of the administration
OF Quarantine by DIR. Alvah II. Doty,
Health officer Of this port, was finished
Yesterday as far as taking testimony Is
concerned The first public hearing was
held on June % before Judge Charles A.
BuIger. Of Oswego. who was appointed by
Covernor Dix as commissioner 10 take the
testimony. The hearings have been held
I'm tho County Court House. 1t may be
several weeks yet before Judge Bulger re-
ceives the record for his final considera-
ton before making his report TO the Gov
ernor.
When the record is completed and print
ed which is expected to take ten days or
two weeks. a hearing will be held 10 al
low counsel on both sides TO go over the
record and make whatever motions they
deem expedsnt at that time Counsel will
then sum UP or submit briefs prior TO the
turning over Of the record to Commission
er Buleer.
At the conclusion Of the hearing yester-
CAV Charles Dushkind, counsel for the
complainants protested against the non
appearance ofrDr Doty for examination as
g witness lie was expected TO TESTIFY
Wednesday. but George Gordon Battle his
counsel. produced a physicians certificate
stating that DR.. Doty was in state OF
nervous collapse az a result of the strain
he had been under for the last few months
in fighting the threatened cholera epidemic
81 Quarantine. and wcs physically unfit 10
appear as a witness. Commissioner Bull
scr suggested that if Dr. Doty recovered
sufficiently within the next ten days or two
weeks 10 testify he would hold another
hearing for thai purpose. Mr.. Battle said
II was unlikely that he would be able 10
appear within that time.
Some Deaths Not Reported"
The defence had rested prior 10 yester
days hearing and the day was occupied
hv Mr. pushkind in introducing further
testimony for the cpmplaipants
Henry L. Koelsc:h. an expert account
ant. who visited Quarantine and Hoffman
Island 20 make an investigation for the
prosecution, testified that 100 more chill
dren died in the Hoffman Island Hospital
curing the year 1910 than had been re-
ported in the official mortality list fur
nished him at Quarantine.
Il found by examination that the actual
deaths at Hoffman Island in 1910 were
c42 children instead of 13S. as reported by
Chief Clerk Doyle, difference OF JOY
deaths" said the witness.
That is not true" interposed Mr Battle.
"thjs mortality list which is sought to he
introduced in evidence does not cover all
The cases treated nor all the deaths on the
island. Mr Dush1ind knows this and I
I'm surprised he did not so state TO the
court"
Commissioner BulEer admitted the list in
evidence and questioned the witness close
~ in regard TO the manner in which he had
obtained his information Koelsch said
ho he'd obtained his figures by examining
the hospital blotters. the bedside slips and
the death certificates
ON ctosS-examination Mr.. Battle brought
cut that the list did not pretend to cover
tic patients admitted 10 the hospital for
observation. who later may have contract
cd a disease which resulted in their deaths.
Among other items on several large
tables Of statistics which had been pre-
pared ny Koesch. and admitted in evi-
dence was one which purported to show
that out of the 242 deaths of children, llS
had died from a different disease than that
for which they were admitted. The infer
enCe was that they had contracted the dis
ease which caused their death on the ISL
and The witness admitted in answer TO
questions by Mr. Battle that he had not
allowed in these figures for the patients
who may have contracted disease during
the fve-day period of incubation after the
last exposure to contagious disease.
SAYS He Found $2,o51 Shortage.
Koelsch testified further that fees
Amounting 10 s.. 2.5S4 were collected at Quar-
antine for inspection of coastwise vessels,
of which the books disclosed $l,532, leaving
s2o5l unaccounted for These collections
covered a period from June l TO December
%. 1910. The witness said that 1896 of these
fees subsequently, lad been returned, MAX
ing the shortage S,l5
Mr.. Battle then surprised the witness by
producing voucher for the sll55. The wit
ness said he had not found this voucher
when he was examining the books.
The prosecution quickly turned the sur
prise on Mr. Battle and George Scoville.
his associate. when the sl15j voucher was
nlaccd I'm evidence Mr.. Dushkind called
NIontanus A. Nash. a bookkeeper at Quar-
antino 10 explain this voucher 1t de-
veloped that the voucher had no. been
filed with the State Controller, and was
one covering bills presented by Frederick
y. Sutherland. DIR. Doty's former secre-
tarv. who resigned his position last Febru-
arv. after making good shortage in his
accounts Of 1896. the sum alluded TO before
The vouchcr was dated April 4, 1911.