Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1914-11-24
.s|x-|NCH RUBBER TUBE I.
is DRAWN into WOUND
Negro Desperately Stabbed Dies al
Virginia Hospital After Second
Operation.
july QUESTIONS DIR. STERN
Finally Decides That Hcdgepcth Died
From Stab Wounds, ignoring In.
cident as TO Pipe Intended to
Drain Cut.

>Charlos Hedgepcth. colored, came
to ibis death from tho effects OF knife
wounds inflicted by Wyatt Cheathnm
on September H." Such was the ver-
Dict found by tho coroners jury which
sat In the case yesterday.
But. according to- the testimony of
Drttlienry s. Stern, ono of the internes
Mt the Colored City Home and one OF
the physicians who treated Hedge
peth. the presence OF n six-inch piece
oisrubber draining tubing in the mans
chest cavity aggravated the Irritation
Oh the wound and made Il necessary
mat HedgepetiI be taken 10 the yir-
GINA Hospital. where an operation
was performed 10 remove It from his
Dody. sHedgepeth WAS operated on at
virginia Hospital November 1G and
died on, November 10.
Hedgepeth was brought to the Col
ored City Homo literally cut to rib
hons. Most OF the wounds were on
the1left side of his body. and one Of
them was cut running from the arm
pit nearly to the waist. The knife
blade had penetrated the outer chest
walls, and the body had bcch laid
open.
RUBBER TUBE DISAPPEARS
IN CHEST CAVITY
Or. Stern operated on the man, and
for the time being. relieved him. How
ever, II was found necessary TO insert
piece Of rubber tubing sometime az
ter the operation TO drain the matS.r
which had collected. Stern was taxi
en- sick and was forced to give up tho
care OF the case Later II was dis
covered that tho. piece Of tubing had
been drawn into tho wound and had
disappeared into tho chest cavity.
Iiedgepcth was then brought to Yir-
Einia Hospital, where Or. Whitehead
succeeded in locating the piece Of
tubing and removing 1t from the
mans body. He died three days later
from the effects OF the original stab,
according TO the verdict Of the cor
oners Jury, that body taking no cog
nizance OF the tube incident.
Coroner Taylor was last night inter
viewed with regard to the case. He
said that II was Impossible for him to
say that the second operation, result
ing from the presence In the mans
body OF the tubing. had caused his
death. as Hedgcpeth had become prac-
tically q living skeleton before he had
been brought to Virginia Hospital. and
Was In no condition TO rrccuperate his
strength DIR. Taylor made no efforts
TO explain the presence of tile piece
OF tubing I'm the mans body. and was
reticent In discussing this feature of
the case, but admitted that tho Incl
dent might have been prevented.
TUBE DRAWN IN ny
PATIENTS DEEr BREATHING
Or. Stern. in testifying before the
coroners jury yesterday. said that such
occurrences were frequent. He was of
tho opinion that the suction. resulting
from the injured mans inspiration.
had drawn the tube into the chest
cavity. is,nd admitted that Its presence
there no tdonbt rirrItated the wound.
Attpttley Z Harry MsS.Smith. .fr.. APP
pearedeat EtfiaTin4ucat.ns attorney for
Cheathain, WHO has not yet been cap
tured. lie paid no particular atten
tIon+to the evidence regarding the sec
onJ operation arid tie. things which
made II necessary. as, II Is said. the
evidence conclusiyely showed that
Cheatham had acted in self-defensc III
cutting Hedgepeth. It was brought
out that the dead man had hit Cheat
ham In the head with a piecc of wood.
and was on top of him inlicting a
severe beating when Cheatham man
aged to secure his knife. Attorney
Smith intinnted that Chentham would
surrender himself to the police TO stand
trial In the next few days.