Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1914-04-10
PROBING CASE OF
DOROTHY ARNOLD
Missing Young Woman Fol
lowed to Maternity Hos
pital Near Pittsburgh.
SHE THEN VANISHES.

Place Raided-Doctor Alleged to Have
Admitted Heiress Had Visited His
Office. 3m
Pittsburgh, April 10.-Evidence Sc
cured here yesterday following the
raid on maternity hospital in Bel
levue, fashionable nearby suburb,
indicates that Dorothy Arnold, the
missing New York heiress who mys-
rteriously disappeared more than two
years ago, was most likely among
the young women who visited that
place and are now numbered among
the missing.
District Attorney Jackson last
night stated that Dorothy Arnold
was traced to the office of Dr.. C. c.
Meridith, in the Schmidt Building,
OF Fifth avenue, and from there she
dropped out Of sight.
A short time later, when question
ed by another physician, DR.. Meri-
dith with an air of bravado, is said
to have admitted that Miss Arnold
visited his office. On being pressed
for further information about her he
is alleged to have intimated that her
body had gone the way of several
others in the murder house." which
was raided today.
Headed by Chief Clark and As
sistant District Attorney John N.
Dunn, a squad of county detectives
this afternoon raided the Maternity
Home which has been conducted by
DR.. Meriditll, for the past two years.
Four persons were taken IN the raid.
They are: Dr.. c. c. Meridith, DR..
II. E. I.utz, Miss Lucy D. Orr, a
nurse in the home, and Mary Snyder,
q domestic.
Dr.. Meridith was Immediately
committed to Jail in default of S12,-
900 bail on charges Of performing
a criminal operation and larceny. DR..
Lutz was taken in charge by District
Attorney Jackson and Miss Orr the
nurse, was committed to Jail.
District Attorney Jackson stated
last night that he has evidence of
five women who were operated on
in the "home." One Of these wo-
men, Mrs. Myrtle Allison, aged
about 40 years, who conducted a
boarding house in Williamsburg mys
teriously disappeared in March, 1913.
DR.. Lutz, in a statement made to
the District Attorney last night, SAID
the Allison woman came to his Of
fee March II, 1913, and while
there collapsed. On March II
she made an -mortem state
ment in which she admitted that
DR.. Meridith had operated upon her.
According to DR.. Lutz, he then
called DR.. Meridith on the telephone
and DR.. Meridith visited the woman
that night at II o'clock. After ad-
hitting that he had performed the
operation, Lutz is reported as de-
claring, Meridith secured a wagon
and removed Mrs. Allison at l
o'clock in the morning. She has
never since that time been seen
either alive or dead by anyone.
Witnesses whose identity the Dis
trict Attorney refuses to disclose are
said to have testified that they saw
Mrs. Allison's body placed in the big
furnace in the "murder house "hlie
she was unconscious but still oreath-
ing.
When Mrs. Allison was taken from
Dr. Lutz's office by Meridith she had
$1,000 in jewe1y and a fine sealskln
coat. These have also disappeared.
Several ether young women who
have beer. reported missing are
known to have last, been seen enter
ing the murder house, asi.
In the raid on the Maternity home
large quantity of surgical tnstru-
ments, an operating table and other
medicinal supplies were taken. In
the cellar was found two furnaces,
either large enough to cremate two
or three bodies at one time.
District Attorney Jackson last
night stated that he expected further