The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-06-23
ATLANTA DOCTOR ON TRIAL ON
MANSLAUGHTER CHARGE
OPERATION WAS FATAL
Jury Must Decide Whether Negi-
gence of Georgia Doctor Caused
Death of Lad While ON Operating
Table-Witnesses Testify He Left
Case for Telephone Calls on Two
Occasions

| DR.. Louis Rouglin, a physician of
Atlanta, Ca, went to trial in the
Terminal court of that place Thursday
afternoon on charge of involuntary
manslaughter, in that his careless
ness in performing a minor opera
tion on Hugh E. Murray, Jr., son of
Mr.. and Mrs. Hugh E. Murray, re-
sulted in the child's death.
Mr.. Murray, father Of the child,
was first called to the witness stand.
| the operation was in nowise danger
Gus and could be performed in few
minutes in his office. Mr.. Murray
said because of the positive assur-
ance that the operation was nothing
at all serious be did not go to Roug-
Inns office with the boy.
He continued that he was at this.
| place of business on the day of the
operation, and received a telephone
call telling him to come at once to
Rouglin's office. He hastened there
and found his son was dead. He
testified he asked Rouglin how it had
happened, and Rouglin replied he
| didn't know. ~
Mrs. Hugh E. Murray next took
the stand. Mrs. Murray told of go
ing to the Office of DR.. Rouglin with
her boy, accompanied by the nurse,
Evelyn Steinbach, but said she did
not witness the operation. Mrs. Muir
ray next saw the boy, after he had
been taken into DR.. Rouglin's pri-
vate office, he was dead, she said.
"I remained in the outer office dur
| ing the operation, said Mrs. Muir
ray. when the boy was taken into
| the private office, asked Dr.. Roug-
lin if everything was all right and he
told me it was. and for me not to
worry 1t was probably half an hour
later that I was informed my boy was
dead
In answer to questions from Solici-
tor Dorsey, Mrs. Murray said DR..
Rouglin had asked no question as to
the boys general condition, or as to
whether he had any aiiment Of any
kind
Evelyn Steinbach, the nurse, gave
the most important testimony bear
| ing directly on the. charge Of negli-
gence and carelessness against DR..
Rouglin. She was employed by Mrs.
Murray about two years ago, she
said. She said she was not trained
nurse, and never had any experiences
in the administering of anesthetics.
She was in the private Office with
the boy and aided DR.. Rouglin and
his maid in preparing for the opera
ton, she said DR.. Rouglin admins
tered chloroforn in a cone to the
boy, she said, and then turned the.
cone over to her to hold to the little
fellows nose while he talked over
the telephone on two different occa-
sions. Before the operation was COM
pletlyl the boy suddenly gasped, and
apparently died within a few mo-
ments, she said.
az begged the maid to get another
doctor quick, but she refused" said
the witness. 81 insisted, however,
and tried to push her out of the
room, and finally Dr.. Rouglin said,
All right; get another Doctor This
doctor asked Dr.. Rouglin if he had
done certain things for resuscitation,
to which DR.. Rouglin replied that he
had not; that he had forgotten all
about that"
The story of the tragedy as told
by Miss Steinbach before the grand
jury, was that DR.. Rouglin, without
giving her intimation Of his inten-
tions ard without an examination Of
the child's physical condition, placed
the boy on the table and applied an
anesthetic, giving her the cone
through which the drug was admin
istered.
The operation itself was insignifi-
cant Of nature. While DR.. Rouglin
was engaged on it, Miss Steinbach
said, she noticed odd movements Of
the child and called his attention to
them. To this, she hcs' testified, he
did not reply. She said she asked
him to get medical aid, but he re-
fused.
While the operation was II pro-
sress, anG while she was holding the
cone to the child's face, she related,
the telephone lang, and DR.. Rougln
| left the task, the instruments re-
naming on the child's body, ano an
swered the call All the time she
held the cone to the child's face,
ignorant of its effects.
Miss Steinbach, continuing, said