The Washington herald., 1911-01-22
DID This DOCTOR
PLAN TO KILL
His OWN WIFE?

Smoke from a pipe, two Cigars. and
a cigarette perfumed the atmosphere
of the consulting room. The crashing
rumble of the rush-hour stream of cars
sounded as a harsh murmur up there,
high above the street, in fashionable
Office building. Pink streakS/ over the
westward tumble of roofs proclaimed the
end of day and yet no light was lit.
In the dusk the strength of the doc
troS' faces was even more strikinsly
revealed than in a bright illumination.
They had seen long service and like
good priests. or railway engineers or
judges, responsibility and a lifetime of
serious tasks had craven their counte-
nances with the unmistakable expression
of purposeful self-reliance, of somewhat
grim earnestness.
1t was one Of those brief periods of
perfect relaxation which comes in the
busiest lives, when everything is disre-
garded except such topics as loom up
in unstudied conversation.
A man whose word has carried porten-
tous weight in more than one instance
where life balanced itself on a scalpel
edge started speaking. The last rays Of
daylight giistened from his eyeglasses
and gave him ovals OF brightness in
lieu of eyes.
''Only a few cases of murder out of
all that occur come to the notice Of the
police he said The law crowds hard
on the trail Of the irresponsible practi-
toner but he is by no means extermi-
fal 20 inSn ~
one of these creatures some years ago
scribes cocaine for any one who pays
him so cents reminded me.
She Had a Bank Account.
"A doctor in Detroit married a girl of
good family. a sizeable bank account of
her own, and more than ordinary beauty.
The man was not popular in his profess
sion. that is among those who valued
their regulations and had any ideals.
When they were married the young
woman was happy. healthy, vivacious.
After year or so friends remarked that
she was changing rapidly. She be-
came absurdly talkatfve or morose and
moody by turn. Her relatives caught
her in several ridiculous lies. When
would twist and turn out Of the sit
uation or else coolly ignore their solicit
tudc. But one day she broke down and
confessed that she was a hopeless user
OF morphine. Her husband had DELHI
erately taught her the habit and was
doing nothing to cure her.
1T is easy to give an habitual drug
devotee an overdose. The explanation
that the person took the stuff continually
and exceeded the usual amount by mis-
take stops all inquiry and suspicion,
necessarily.
THE members of this young womans
family were desperate. They consulted
an attorney and he advised them that the
only thing to be done was to get her out
Of her husbands hands and that the only
way to do it was through the probate
court. A petition was filed to have her
confined in a sanatorium, where she could
undergo treatment for the habit.
Appointed to Examine Her.
Il was one of the two doctors appoint
ed by the court to examine her. She eX-
hibited all the typical symptoms of NOR
pho mania and We so testified before the
probate judge
when 1 left the stand the husband
me to my Office.
do you know what you have gotten
yourself into?' he demanded. My wife is
perfectly sane and her misfortune can
be relieved better by ME at home than
at any sanatorum. You are party to a
plot to send her away, to make a pris-
oner of her, and / don't intend to stand
tamely by and see you do it. The court
has withheld its decision and 1 am going
hale
stand to swear that my wife is normal,
and I'll prove that you are aiding her
family in a scheme to kidnap her; yes,
sir; it's kidnapping; nothing less.
He went on in this strain for some
time. When he halted / said, Doctor,
have you said everything you have to
say? In that case let me say just this:
You understand that a person using NOR
phine is likely to talk about almost any
thing. But If you insist that your wife is
sane and responsible, well and good. |
don't doubt but that you can prove it to |
the courts satisfaction if you are deter !
mined to, and perhaps you make US out |
to be liars and crooks, but listen to me |
right now.
Will Reveal Her Story.
IT you demonstrate that your wife is |
accountable for what she does and says
VIC wan 'SNSoi nat ShS toiA " 10 "hSh
We questioned her, and you will be held
to a strict accounting for the sort of
practice she declares you carry on. We
will show that you pander to the weak |
ness Of drug victims: that you defy the |
law; that you are deserving of a cell in |
States prison
He left the room without replying and |
his wife was sent to a sanatorium by the |
court"
In repeating his remarks to the hus-
band, the doctor had risen to his feet !
Drawing his tall frame erect. he delivered |
the words with dramatic emphasis As |
he applied a fresh match to his cigar |
some one asked: Where is the woman !
now?'
"She is still in the institution where |
She was sent by the probate judge She |
is entirely cured of morphinism and is a |
nurse. giving all her time to the rescue !
OF others who have fallen into the drugs |
clutches"
"Where is her husband@'
The doctor looked up from the light |
ing of his cigar and snapped away the |
match.
He abandoned his practice and left |
town"
LEARNED TOOQUICKLY